


How to Bloom

by Sarah_the_Something



Category: Horrortale - Fandom, Undertale, Undertale AU - Fandom, Undertale AUs - Fandom
Genre: Angst, Anxiety, Blood, Depression, F/F, F/M, Fluff, HorrorTale, Hurt/Comfort, I lied it’s full of fluff, Manipulation, Medium Burn, Multi, Nightmares, Not too much fluff, PTSD, Polyamory, Reader Insert, Reader Is Not Frisk, Romance, Second Person, So much comfort, Violence, and fluff, but also yeah hurt, not too extreme but putting tags just in case, reader is female
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-21
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:00:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 25,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21516430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sarah_the_Something/pseuds/Sarah_the_Something
Summary: Life has been hard, and all you want to do is pay your rent and be safe from the gangs in your neighborhood. You find a gardening job in the newspaper, and you think you'll just get the money and leave. What you didn't expect is to make friends with the two skeletons you're gardening for... and maybe more than friends? Be prepared for angst and fluff, much comfort. DISCLAIMER: the gangs are more like modern mafias.
Relationships: Alphys/Undyne (horrortale), Reader/Papyrus (horrortale), Reader/Sans (Horrortale)
Comments: 262
Kudos: 667





	1. Introductions

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Fur a Good Time, Call...](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15881328) by [popatochisp](https://archiveofourown.org/users/popatochisp/pseuds/popatochisp). 



> My first fic ever!!!! I will take constructive notes, but please give them kindly, I'm a sensitive soul. Get ready for a slow burn! I'm not sure what the update schedule will be, but I guess we'll find out! Please remember that any mention towards gangs is generally in a mafia sense, just smaller.

You didn’t know what you expected when you knocked on the door of the small white cottage in the woods, but it for sure wasn’t a skeleton.

I mean sure, it had been two years since the barrier was broken and monsters streamed out of Mt. Ebbot, hungry and depraved, but they tended to stay in the city of Ebbot, preferring to keep in the company of other monsters in the strange new world on the surface.

So you hardly ever saw monsters, living several states over from Mt. Ebbot, and this cottage was also a fairly far ways from the city. You wouldn’t even have taken the journey here from your small apartment, but the newspaper ad had promised good pay and you were getting desperate.

So you had put on your coat and working pants and had walked the two minutes to the subway station, hopped over the turnstile when no one was watching, took the 20 minute train to the edge of the city, walked ten minutes into the woods, wondered why you ever thought this was a good idea, remembered your empty wallet, and knocked on the cottage door.

It was a good minute before the door slowly creaked open to reveal a very tall skeleton. You gulped, your eyes traveling from the pink fluffy slippers hiding skeleton toes to the baggy blue sweatshirt with... was that a ketchup stain? Hopefully it was a ketchup stain. 

Finally, your gaze ended on his skull, where you noticed the slightly aged bone, the pointed teeth, and the one red eyelight. Oh, and the giant gaping hole on the side of his skull. The very jagged, very scary looking hole. That looked very scary. And very painful.

You realized you were staring and quickly moved your gaze back to his face. His one red eyelight was pointed at you, slowly getting smaller as he focused.

You realized the extent of your situation, being in the middle of nowhere in the woods, with a very scary, very large skeleton.

But mother told you not to judge people by appearances, and you were desperate, so you ignored your adrenaline rush and smiled up at his skull.

“i already told the last guy i don’t want to buy any vacuums,” he said, his hand already moving to close the door. His voice had been deep and quiet, almost emotionless.

“No wait!” You took a step forward and pulled the crumpled newspaper ad out of your jacket pocket. “I’m here for the gardening job?”

He stared at you, unmoving. It was almost unnerving, how little he moved. His chest didn’t even rise (did he need to breath?), his legs solid on the ground, and his broad shoulders unwavering. He didn’t respond, just stared at you with a blank face, as if he was still processing your words.

You cleared your throat, desperate to clear the tenseness in the air. “Yeah, if I was just here for vacuums, that would really  _ suck _ , right?” You gave him your best smile.

“heh.” The skeleton seemed to finally process your words, a smile just hinting from his jagged teeth. A little emotion showed on his face, and you relaxed your shoulders. He turned his head behind him and called into the house. “paps, there’s a human here for your gardening thing.”

“EXCELLENT! JUST A SECOND WHILE I GET READY!” A response echoed from somewhere in the small cottage. 

The skeleton looked back to you, nodding to the inside of the house, and walked out of your view.

“Err...” You weren’t sure if this was an invitation for you to come in or not. This skeleton seemed very nonvocal. Maybe the injury in his head made it harder for him to talk?

You decided to take the initiative and walked inside, turning to close the door behind you. You turn back to find the skeleton inches away from you, your face to his chest. You looked up at him, and found his eyelight pointed right at you. You jumped, immediately stepping back and bringing your arms over your head.

A second passed without event. Then another. You let your arms go. He was still staring, and hadn’t moved an inch from his spot, his hand still left casually in his pockets. His one red eyelight was fuzzy and large, unfocused even.

“paps is really excited about this project.” He stated it plainly, but there was a lot hidden behind the sentence. It was almost like a threat, if that made any sense. You nodded. “really wants to meet a human, get himself out there.” he said, staring at you for another moment. Finally, his eyes seemed to refocus, and his gaze left your face, looking down. He almost looked surprised to find himself standing there.

He made a sound that sounded like coughing, but skeletons don’t even have throats, right? Maybe it was a magic thing. You searched his face, which looked embarrassed, a slight blue blush forming on his cheekbones. Maybe he didn’t mean to be so threatening?

You suddenly felt a strong urge to clear the tension.

“Your house seems pretty far out there, huh? Do you every get _ bonely _ ?” You said, trying to put a joking tone into your words.

He starts, looking back at you with a funny expression. Then he smiles, the first one you’ve seen since he opened the door. He visibly relaxes, his shoulders moving down and his eyes becoming larger. 

“it’s not that bad, the nature is very beautiful,  _ tibia _ honest.” he said. You giggle, enjoying the simple bone pun. The tension in the air gets a little softer, and you let yourself look around.

The room is split into two sections, a kitchen to your left, and a living room to your right. The kitchen is small, a stove, a fridge, and an island in the center. A couple pots sit on the counter, a box of spaghetti set aside. The living room has an intense orange and blue rug set in front of a comfortable looking couch. An old TV sits in front of the couch, with a sturdy looking coffee table between them. A couple rocks are on the table, one tinted a slight green color, the other grey and flecked with bits of silver. Interesting, maybe a rock collector?

The sound of footsteps coming down the hallway in front of you shakes you out of your exploring. You look up to find another skeleton bounding his way towards you. A very large skeleton. Jeez, you thought the first one was tall, this guy looked like he could play basketball and win every time, he could probably reach up and touch the net without even having to stand on his toes. 

He stopped in front of you, taking a moment to stand straight and pat down his clothes, which seemed unnecessary given he hadn’t wrinkled them, and that they weren’t really the wrinkling kind of material. He wore a faded green sweater and black jeans, a hole in one of the knees.

He stood straight, and tried to make a professional looking face that was slightly off due to the braces on his teeth. The glasses helped though, a nice brown tortoiseshell that were taped? To the side of his head? You guessed that was a clever solution to not having ears. His bones had the same faded yellowed quality as the other skeleton, but he had a much longer face and his build was thinner, his limbs longer and his shoulders not quite as broad.

“HUMAN!” he looked down at you, a small smile on his face. You started at how loud his voice was. “YOU ARE HERE TO INTERVIEW FOR THE GARDENING JOB?” he asked. You nodded in response. “I HOPE MY BROTHER SANS TREATED YOU WELL, YES? NO THREATENING THIS TIME?” he glanced over at his brother nervously, who was standing sheepishly, his hands out of his pockets and waving back at him.

“She’s still here, isn’t she?” he grinned up at his brother, who looked at him unimpressed.

“YES, SHE ARE. I SUPPOSE YOU MIGHT’VE TONED IT DOWN THIS TIME. I’M SORRY IF HE WAS RUDE TO YOU, HUMAN.”

Wait, this time? Had he scared off people before?

You realized the skeleton was waiting for your response.

  
“Oh, no, it was fine?”

“yeah paps, you know i don’t have the  _ stomach _ for violence,” said Sans. He smiled and pointed towards where his stomach would have been. The other skeleton groaned.

  
“I WOULD NORMALLY GIVE YOU THE USUAL COMPLAINTS FOR THAT HORRIBLE PUN, BUT WE HAVE A GUEST, SO YOU WILL HAVE TO IMAGINE THEM YOURSELF.” The skeleton turned back towards you. “MY NAME IS PAPYRUS, I PUT UP THE AD FOR THE GARDENING JOB.” He offered his hand to you. You took it, realizing as you shook it that it completely engulfed your hand. You were so entertained by that you almost didn’t take the time to notice how the bone felt against your skin. But it was hard not to notice how surprisingly soft and sturdy the bone was.

“My name is y/n, I didn’t realize there would be an interview?” you said as he released your hand.

“WHY, OF COURSE ANY JOB NEEDS AN INTERVIEW!” Papyrus smiled at you, more genuine this time, winking at you  in a way that was pretty cute . “BUT DON’T WORRY, I’M SURE YOU’ll DO GREAT.”

Papyrus led you to the kitchen island, where you sat on stools facing each other. He rested his arm on the counter, a notebook suddenly appearing in his other hand.

“SO.”

“So...” you shifted uncomfortably. 

You’d never been in an interview before. Usually they’d just give you a job to do (“Clean out the gutters and than you’ll get paid.”), or shoved a list of tasks in your hand and waited for you to come ask for the money(“You’re finally done? You’re lucky I’m paying you, bitch”).

“WHY DO YOU WANT THIS JOB?” Papyrus interrupted your strain of thoughts.

_ Money. _ You’re brain strained to think of an answer.

“Uhh, I like working with plants.”

“DO YOU HAVE ANY EXPERIENCE?”

“I grew up gardening with my mother.”  _ If you count ages 1 - 7 as growing up. _

“HOW LONG ARE YOU WILLING TO WORK ON THIS PROJECT?”

_ For as long as I can be paid for _ . “I am determined to work on it until you’ve decided it’s perfect.”

“WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE COLOR?”

_....What? _

“Um, I guess I’d say it’s pink, like a pastel pink?”

Papyrus nodded seriously, considering your answer. Than he smiled.

“YOU’RE HIRED!”

_ Oh thank god _ _._ You smiled brightly, his happiness becoming contagious.  _ Now I can finally pay- _

“YOU’LL START TOMORROW!”

_ Wait wait wait. _

  
  


“Tomorrow?”

“WHY OF COURSE, HUMAN. ALL JOBS HAVE THE INTERVIEW, AND THAN THEY SAY ‘YOU’LL START TOMORROW!’” Papyrus coughed nervouslly, fiddling with his glasses, “I MEAN, THAT’S HOW IT WORKS, ISN’T IT?” He looked at you hopefully.

You needed the money as soon as possible, but his face was so innocent, and you knew correcting him would embarrass him, and maybe make him feel like you weren’t taking the job seriously. You sighed inwardly - you can't bring yourself to disappoint him.

“Yes, you’re right. I’ll see you tomorrow!” You smiled at him.

He stuck his hand out for you to shake again, smiling broadly. He was such a sweetheart, you found yourself looking forward to seeing him tomorrow. You shook his hand and turned to leave, calling out to the living room.

“Bye Sans!”

Sans jumped, his large form turning to see you from the spot on his couch. He stared at you without saying anything, his eyelights completely black. You jumped a little yourself, taking a step back. But than his eyelights returned, and his shoulders slumped back.

“sorry kiddo, forgot you were here.” He looked genuinely sorry, frowning in frustration. Your heart ached, realizing the head injury he had might be affecting his memory. You decided to make him smile again.

“Don’t worry, you’re probably just  _ bone tired _ .” You smile nervously, which he mirrors back.

You leave the cottage and head back for your long journey back home.


	2. First Day Jitters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Puns, gardening, and sandwiches, what could go wrong?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The comments and kudos you guys left were SO AMAZING! I didn't even expect anyone to read this, let alone react! I hope you guys like this chapter. As before, if you have notes on how I can improve my writing, please be kind as I am sensitive soul <3

The next day you were once again greeted by Sans at the door. He was wearing the same slippers and basketball shorts, and his sweatshirt was opened to reveal a black shirt that read, “If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the precipitate”. You chuckled a little at that, having had a passion for chemistry back when you were in school. 

“papyrus is in the back, just down the hall.” San’s said, recognizing you from yesterday. You studied his face, noticing more details this time. He looked tired - his eye sockets were hollow, like the skeleton equivalent of having lines under your eyes. His sharp teeth had no smile, just a neutral look, and his one glowing eye socket had a duller light than yesterday. You decided to humor him a little.

“Hey Sans, knock knock,” You smiled at him as he moved to let you in. He jumped in his path, as if he wasn’t expecting you to talk to him. He looked at you nervously, his hands back in his pockets and his head tilted slightly down. Despite being at least two feet taller than you, his eyelight peeked at you from the top of his socket. Maybe this guy was shyer than you thought.

“who’s there?”

“Beryl.” You were facing him now. His face switched from being nervous to curious, his head no longer tilted.

“Beryl who?”

“Beryl and lium.” It wasn’t your best knock knock joke, but he seemed like the kind of guy who would enjoy a bad joke.

“Hehehe...” he straightened out more, the confidence you had started to see yesterday showing a little more. It was progress. “what do you do to dead elements?” he began walking behind you as you moved towards the back of the house.

“What?”

“you  _ barium _ .” He was smiling now, a little more light in his socket.

“I’d give you another chemistry pun, but all the good ones  _ argon _ .” that one got a good laugh from him, after he paused a moment to process it. You walked down the hall with him, trading chemistry puns back and forth. He looked more relaxed, laughing at your jokes and trading them with ones equally good (though slightly more morbid). Your heart warmed at seeing him happy. He’d been pretty scary when you first met him, but now he seemed more like a big goofball. You found yourself relaxing around him.

“Hey, do you have 11 protons?” you loved this joke.

“no, why?”

“Cause you’re  _ sodium _ fine.” You laughed, but Sans stopped dead in his tracks. It took you a moment to realize he wasn’t following you, and you turned back to him to find his eyelight frozen forward and his cheekbones... blushing?

“hehehe, good one, kid.” Sans voice sounded hurried, surprisingly fast for how slowly he usually talked. Did you say something wrong? Maybe the joke was worse than you thought. “well, here’s the door to the back, papyrus is waiting for you.”

“Uh, thanks Sans!” you look forward towards the door as you open it, than back to say goodbye, “Maybe we can trade puns again before I leave-” but he was gone. How did he walk away so fast? And so quietly?

You shrug and turned back and heading through the door.

“HELLO HUMAN! I HOPE YOU’RE READY FOR YOUR FIRST DAY OF WORK!” Papyrus was standing near the back of the garden, surrounded by tools and bags of soil. You took a look around the garden. It was fenced in with what must’ve been built as a white picket fence but now could only be described as... well it was a fence. Most of the other details were either chipped away or faded.

Oak trees stood on either far corner, the only things still alive in the garden, unless you counted the overgrown ivy that grew up both of them and along the fence in the back. Dried up bushes and plants lined the entirety of the garden, their roots sticking out in places, making it a maze of thorns and dead branches. There was no grass, just dried, unhealthy dirt.

This job might take longer than you thought. 

Was he going to pay you before it was done?

You walk towards Papyrus, being careful not to trip on any of the overgrown plants. It was a good thing you wore your thick work overalls today, as the denim was sturdy enough not to tear on the various thorns and branches.

Papyrus smiled at you, and you took a moment to look over his face like you did with Sans. His face was longer, more like a human skull, but with larger eye sockets. He had both eyelights, which shone a hopeful white. His sockets were strained, but not as badly as Sans’. He also had teeth less sharp than Sans’, but with bigger canines. They were in great shape (other than the braces) but you had to wonder what they used to look like. 

Many of the monsters had come up disfigured and sickly, teeth crooked and eyes missing. Human society had been good for once and jumped to help cure and take care of all the sick monsters. You wondered why they hadn’t taken care of San’s skull. The monsters didn’t talk much about what happened down underground, but it couldn’t have been good.

You looked down and realized he was also dressed for the job- he wore a flannel over a t-shirt, and dark denim pants. He’d left the glasses inside today.

“Wait, are you working with me Papyrus?” you’d assumed this would be something you’d have to tackle on your own - wasn’t that how jobs like this worked?

“WHY, THAT WOULDN’T BE FUN, WOULD IT? WORKING OUT HERE IN THE GARDEN ALL BY YOURSELF. “ He looked at you curiously.

Huh. This was new.

Well, you weren’t gonna say no to extra help, as long as you were still getting paid the same amount.

“You’re right, that wouldn’t be fun. Should we get started?” He nodded, but doesn’t move. He looked as you bashfully.

“UM, I’VE NEVER REALLY GARDENED BEFORE. WHAT SHOULD WE START WITH?”

Oh, this guy was too much. For such a large monster, he was literally the definition of a cinnamon roll. You couldn’t help smiling at him, eager to help him learn to care for his garden.

“We should start by pulling up all the dead plants. This’ll probably take a while, are you sure you want to help?”

“I’M DETERMINED TO!”

The two of you got to work, pulling out dead bushes and roots and putting them into the large trash bags Papyrus had provided (thank god he didn’t ask you to bring your own tools). Papyrus entertained the two of you by asking questions. You told him you were 24, learned he was 25, and Sans was 27. You learned his favorite tv show involved a robot named Mettaton, and was asked what yours was. It had been a fair amount of time since you’d watched tv, so you told him you preferred books. That set him off on a long tyrant about his favorite series, which detailed dragons and magic. He waved his hands in excitement as he described the story, his mouth moving a mile a minute.

“I COULD LEND IT TO YOU, IF YOU WANT?” His eyes were shining with excitement as he pulled up another root.

Did he really trust you that much? After you’d only just met? This skeleton was so kind.

You didn’t deserve it.

“HUMAN!” you jumped at his voice, which was somehow even louder than usual. “YOUR HANDS!”

You look down at your hands, which were scratched up from pulling at the thorny bushes. You hadn’t thought much of it, having often gotten a little beaten up from the jobs you did.

Papyrus walked over to you with a purpose, stooping over you to gently pick up your hands in his, turning them over, and examining each scratch and cut individually. His bones felt cold from working in the fall air, but still soft. You marveled at his long fingers, at how big his hands looked in yours.

“HOW DID YOU LET THIS HAPPEN, Y/N?”

You jumped at him addressing you by your actual name, instead of just referring to you by “Human.” You looked up at him, and were surprised to find his face way closer to yours than it usually was, given his height. His eyes were concerned, making complete contact with yours.

You flushed, unused to being this close with someone. Papyrus tsked, flushing a bit himself. He broke eye contact.

“YOU SHOULD TAKE BETTER CARE OF YOURSELF, HUMAN! AT LEAST WEAR GLOVES!”

“hey, paps, i made sandwiches,” Sans called from the backdoor. You and Papyrus both jumped at Sans’ quiet voice, not expecting it. You looked up at both of them. 

Your stomach growled. Loudly. You hadn’t eaten after getting home last night, and you didn’t have time to cook ramine this morning. Papyrus looked down at your stomach, concerned. Than he walked to the house purposefully, his hand still in yours, so you were forced to walk behind him.

“Papyrus!” You struggled to keep up with his marching.

“WE’D BE GLAD TO HAVE SANDWICHES, SANS. CAN YOU ALSO GET THE FIRST AID KIT?”

Papyrus took you inside the house, stuffed you with a sandwich, and patched up your hands with what was, in your opinion, an excessive amount of bandaids. But hey, it was a free sandwich, and you weren’t complaining.

“I DON’T THINK YOU SHOULD DO ANY MORE WORK UNTIL YOU CAN GO HOME AND GET YOUR GARDENING GLOVES.” Papyrus was sitting at the kitchen counter with you, Sans next to him.

“But there’s still so much to do-” Papyrus brought up his hand, stopping your further complaints.

“WE’LL HAVE PLENTY OF TIME TO WORK TOMORROW, AND WE’LL BE MORE EFFICIENT IF YOU CAN USE YOUR HANDS.”

You deflated slightly. An afternoon of not working meant more time without getting paid. Papyrus looked at you with a smile, misreading your reason for disappointment.

“DO NOT WORRY, HUMAN, WE MADE A LOT OF PROGRESS TODAY, BOTH IN THE GARDEN, AND OUR FRIENDSHIP.”

Wait, friendship? Already? You felt yourself blush. People aren’t supposed to be this nice. That wasn’t how the world worked. Trading puns, working together, lending books, sharing lunch, Papyrus and Sans were living in a different world.  _ I don’t want to be there when they learn how the real world works, _ you thought.

__

You thanked him for the sandwiches, left Sans with another pun (“Thank you for the  _ sans _ which, sans” He’d chuckled, a small blush on his face), and walked to the train, taking your usual moment to hop the turnstile. You were exhausted, despite only working half the day. Maybe it was the stress.

Some time later, you were walking up the rickety stairs to your one room apartment. Your head was in the clouds, thinking of books and skeletons, and you almost didn’t notice the note taped to the outside of your door.

You groaned inwardly, a flash of anxiety striking through your heart. It didn’t matter that this happened every month, it still made your nervousness skyrocket to the stars. You reached up and untaped the note from the door, unfolding it as you walked into your tiny living space. You dropped your coat on the table and read from the paper.

__ _ Protection payment is due at the end of the month. Don’t be late. _

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Duh duh DUUUHHHHHH...  
> What could that note mean??? Who knows?!!?!? Definitely not your loving and caring author who would NEVER do anything angsty to poor reader *insert sarcasm here*.  
> Don't worry, there is LOTS of fluff to come.
> 
> Fun fact: I wrote the beginning note with one hand because my dog was sleeping on my other and you know, it's against the law to move it so.


	3. The Week Goes By

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You get to know the skeles a little more ;)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this took so much time! Finals week hit (read: is still hitting but I needed a study break), and I got a bit distracted. Hopefully now that I'm getting close to break I can get some more chapters out!

The next of the week passed by fairly quickly, despite your nervousness from the threatening note. 

On Wednesday, you continued clearing out the dead plants with Papyrus, sharing yet another lunch break with him and Sans, where you traded food puns and giggled at Papyrus’s reactions. It seemed he had a bit of an annoyance with puns.

“Hey Sans,  _ olive _ this sandwich, I’m so  _ egg _ cited that you made it for me.” you held up your food, enjoying Papyrus’s groan as he took off his glasses and rubbed his nose ridge.

“you don’t need to  _ butter  _ me up, i know my cooking is  _ breader _ than most.” San’s voice was still gravelly and low, and he still took a fair amount of time to process your words and respond in turn, but it seemed like he was warming up to your pun battles, letting himself smile when you really got into it.

“IF YOU TWO DON’T STOP MAKING HORRIBLE PUNS, SOMEONE IS GOING TO END UP WITH A SANDWICH IN THEIR FACE.” Papyrus declared.

“sorry paps, I’m sure we’ll take a break with it on  _ fry _ day.” Sans stood up, picking up his empty plate along with yours. You shifted in your chair a little, surprised by his small act of kindness.

“I SURE HOPE YOU DO, YOU’RE PUNS ARE AWFUL.” Papyrus stood up as well, a small smile forming. “BESIDES, WE ALL KNOW THE BEST PUNS ARE MADE BY PAPYRUS THE  _ GRATE _ .” He emphasized the final word so you’d know he was making a pun.

You and Sans looked at each other for a brief moment, surprised, before you both brokedown into laughter, yours seeming like a much higher pitch compared to San’s low pitched chuckling.

You spent the afternoon clearing what you’d pulled in the morning. Papyrus humming a song to himself as the two of you stuffed branches into a trash bag.

_ These skeletons are too nice _ , you found yourself thinking. Why were they treating you like a friend when you were just a gardener? You’d never had a job like this before, but you were finding yourself enjoying the time you were spending with the both of them. Maybe you had been more lonely than you thought.

You hadn’t had friends for a long time, not since you had to spend all your days desperately trying to get work without an education past highschool, and without experience other than your odd jobs. You’d been stuck going from temp job to temp job, cleaning out people’s garages, dog walking dogs you’d never be able to afford, acting as a busser for restaurants when their normal guys called in sick. You were constantly trying to pay for rent, food, clothes... and protection.

It never occured to you that you could have friends without having money. The world had always been such an unfriendly place, from the foster homes you grew up in to the shady and corrupt city you called home now. No one was nice without a reason, without something to gain.

You thought back to the ad in the paper that had started this job. “ _ Companion needed for garden renovation. Good pay, experience needed.  _ Than it had listed the address. You knew a bit of gardening from before you’d lost your mom, and newspaper ads like this didn’t tend to do background checks. But that word. “Companion”. You’d disregarded it as another buzzword used in job listings, something to catch the eye. But maybe Papyrus had done it on purpose? Maybe, he was actually looking for a friend?

But that didn’t make sense. Why would someone like him want a friend like you?

You finished the day with almost all the dead plants cleared away, Papyrus excited by the progress you’d made.

There was no note on the door this time, and you collapsed into bed, too tired to make dinner.

On Thursday, you finished clearing away all the dead brush. Papyrus laughed excitedly (“NYEHEHEHEH”), and picked you up in a tight hug, twirling you around. You let yourself laugh a little too, unused to the contact from another person and enjoying the feeling of his strong arms holding you up.

The garden looked better now, but there was still a lot of work to do. You needed to cut away the ivy, make the soil healthy again, fix the fence, trim the trees, and put in new plants. You weren’t sure where the new plants were supposed to come from, but you hoped you weren’t supposed to supply them.

At lunch that day you wondered aloud if the dead brush would make good compost, which led into a discussion of what compost was (“wow, i really  _ dig _ that” “YOU ALREADY USED THAT ONE SANS.”). Both of them seemed excited about the prospect of saving food that had gone bad, and they agreed to add it to the garden project.

You realized belatedly on your way home that you’d inadvertently extended the day you’d be paid. But the end of the month wasn’t for a couple weeks, at the rate you two were going, you were slightly confident you’d still finish on time.

On Friday, Sans joined you in the garden, reading a book from a deck chair by the house. As you and Papyrus pulled ivy away from the fence, he called out puns as encouragement.

“make sure to get all the plants, you know if you give a weed an inch it’ll take a  _ yard _ .” he took out a pen to slowly write a note in his book. From the cover, it looked like something sciency.

“You’re really taking the time to  _ weed _ out the worst puns aren’t you!” you called, looking up from the large clippers. You noticed Papyrus struggling and walked over to show him a better method. “If you use the part of the blade closer to the handle, you’ll get a little more torque. Here-” Your put your hands over Papyrus’s and guided him through the motions of cutting the thicker branches of ivy. His eye sockets widened when you touched his hands, and he watched seriously, moving closer to you.

You looked over at his face and noticed a small blush on his cheekbones. Of course, that was probably from all the work he’d been doing.

“Have you gotten enough water today, Papyrus?” You took your hands off of his, giving him a concerned look.

“I CAN ASSURE YOU I AM TAKING CARE OF MYSELF, BUT I’VE NOTICED YOU HAVEN’T HAD A DROP. IT’S PROBABLY A GOOD TIME TO BREAK FOR LUNCH ANYWAY.” Papyrus nodded towards the house, and the two of you set your tools aside, beginning your walk to the door.

#

San’s watched the two of you walk towards the house, his small adrenaline rush he’d gotten when he saw you move towards Papyrus slowly ebbing away. It was the same when he saw anyone move towards Papyrus - his instincts kicked in, and he immediately wanted to move to protect him, to keep him safe.

But... it was different with you. Sure, he still got a bit of an adrenaline rush, but it was minimal compared to the rest of the world. With every day you spent with them, he grew more used to your endless puns, your endless smiles, your hard work, and the happiness you gave Papyrus.

And the happiness you gave him as well.

Your soul exuded kindness like a spring. You’d spit pun after pun to make him smile and you’d check in with Papyrus to make sure he was taking care of himself. You were getting paid for the whole project, not for the amount of time spent, but still you brought up the idea of the compost bin to make the garden even better. You cared, and it showed.

But you seemed so unaware of it. For every act of kindness you did, every act that was done to you was met with confusion in your eyes. Every time he handed you food you took it like it would be snatched away in an instance. With every hug Papyrus gave you, you flinched, expecting violence, and when you realized it wasn’t, you’d smile with this... this wonder in your eyes like you couldn’t believe someone would want to hug  _ you _ .

You were a conundrum. And a mystery. One Sans wasn’t against trying to solve. After all, you made Papyrus happy, and that’s what mattered.

#

“Y/N, BEFORE YOU GO...”

You looked up from the final pile of ivy you were carrying to the side of the yard, where the designated area for the compost bin was. “Yeah?”

Papyrus looked down, his face still blushing from the hard work he’d done that day.

“I WANTED TO ASK YOU SOMETHING?”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What will Papyrus ask Reader? The world may never know.
> 
> I have a tumblr! Come say hi at @acollegestudentwholovedundertale
> 
> (did I get the extra note under this to go away?)


	4. Spaghetti and Threats

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You spend some quality time with the bros, then something happens.
> 
> TRIGGER WARNING: there is some violence and scare tactics used in this chapter, as well as some poor mental health stuff asterisks will be used to warn for it. You can go to the bottom notes once you reach that point if you want to read quickly what happens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Holidays to you all!
> 
> I thought I'd bring in the new year with a new chapter. I've been a little nervous about posting this chapter because it's a little different.
> 
> Fun fact: I wrote most of this on the plane ride home for the holidays. I wonder if the person sitting next to me was reading over my shoulder. Well, I hope they liked it!
> 
> There's a chance I'm over worrying with the trigger warning, but I'd never want to hurt anybody so better safe than sorry!
> 
> As usual, if you have notes on how I can improve my writing, please leave them kindly, I'm a sensitive soul.

**TRIGGER WARNING: there is some violence and scare tactics used in this chapter, as well as some poor mental health stuff asterisks will be used to warn for it. You can go to the bottom notes once you reach that point if you want to read quickly what happens.**

“WOULD YOU MAYBE WANT TO... STAY FOR DINNER?”

You blinked. That wasn’t what you were expecting. How long had it been since you’d been invited to dinner by someone? Had it ever happened, or was it only something you’d read about in the orphanage storybooks?

“THAT IS, SANS AND I WOULD LOVE GETTING TO KNOW YOU A LITTLE MORE, OUTSIDE THE SCOPE OF WORK .” Papyrus was blushing orange as he reached up and fiddled with his glasses. His eyes were opened wide, his gaze avoiding yours, “I-I JUST THOUGHT WE COULD MAKE SOME SPAGHETTI, AND MAYBE WATCH SOME OF METTATON LIKE I WAS TALKING ABOUT AND SANS AND YOU COULD TALK MORE ABOUT CHEMISTRY AND…”

“Papyrus! It’s ok!” You put your hands up, smiling at Papyrus’s nervousness. Having dinner together, that was what _friends_ did. That was what you did with people you wanted to spend more time with. Did he really want to spend more time with _you_?

“O-OF COURSE, IF YOU AREN’T COMFORTABE, YOU DON’T HAVE TO.”

“Nonono, I’d love to have dinner with you. I was just surprised you wanted to, is all.” You rubbed the back of your head with your hand, suddenly feeling a little shy. Papyrus looked at you seriously and walked towards you. You flinched, not expecting movement as he reached over and took your hands in his.

“WHY WOULDN’T I WANT TO SPEND TIME WITH MY NEW FRIEND?” Papyrus looked at you seriously, his eyes searching yours. You blushed furiously, unused to the contact between you. It felt… nice. No one had held you like this tenderly in a long time, other than when you scratched your hands. But that had been purely professional… right? You thought about the times Papyrus had hugged you. You’d brushed his hugs off as his excitement, assumed that his friendliness was just that he treated everyone as nicely as he treated you. but maybe… he actually _did_ want to be your friend?

“y/n, come dine with us. we won’t bite.” Sans’ voice distracted you from your thoughts. You looked up to see him standing next to Papyrus, his usual relaxed smile on his face. But did it seem… strained?

You looked back to Papyrus’s hopeful face. You smiled.

“I’d love to eat with you guys.”

“WOWIE! I’M SO EXCITED!” Papyrus let go of your hands, instead picking you up in a giant hug and twirling you around. This time, you paid attention to how he held you, to how careful he was not to hurt you, to how much energy he was holding in his shoulders. You allowed yourself to hug himself back. It would be nice to have a friend.

Papyrus let you down, taking your hand and dragging you (gently) into the kitchen. You laughed, your soft giggles matching nicely with Papyrus’s “NYEHEHEHE”.

Sans watched the two of you move through the kitchen, Papyrus pointing out various tools and ingredients he wanted to use. He’d been scared for a moment you’d say no to Papyrus’s offer. He didn’t want anyone to hurt Papyrus like that. His brother had gotten really invested in you and had brought up the dinner idea after you left last night. Immediately, Sans become nervous, worried you’d say no and leave Papyrus devastated. When you hesitated, his fears almost became a reality.

But you didn’t hesitate the way he thought you would. Of course, he should have realized you’d never do anything to hurt Papyrus. He’d been battling with himself over your nature, unwilling to believe anyone would be this kind to the two of them, the hulking skeleton with braces and the walking nightmare with a hole in his head. Your smiles went past the general politeness of a work colleague, you were actually _excited_ to see the two of them. Of course you would want to come to dinner.

No, your hesitation was from something else. Sans was good at reading people, especially when he could recognize the same patterns he saw in himself. You didn’t think you were worth befriending. You couldn’t understand why Papyrus would ask you to dinner. You didn’t think you were worth it.

Sans hadn’t cared about anyone but Papyrus for a long time, not since… _they_ had left. But seeing you deny your worth like that, something - a small something - began to drift through his soul. It confused him, but he brushed it off. He could deal with these feelings later. For now, he could just watch Papyrus be happy.

#

You never knew cooking could be so much fun. The most you’d done in your lifetime was boil some water for ramen, but making spaghetti with Papyrus was nice. You established a pattern, bantering with each other as he showed you how to cut each type of vegetable.

“I USED TO LOVE MAKING PUZZLES IN THE SNOW, BEFORE THE FOOD RAN OUT – OH, HOLD THE KNIFE A LITTLE LOWER DOWN, AND JUST MOVE IT BACK AND FORTH, NO FORCE REQUIRED.” He put his hand over yours and guided you through slicing the tomato.

“Oh, thank you,” you readjusted your grip and mimicked the motions after Papyrus let go. The slices became a lot neater. “What were your favorite kind of puzzles?”

“I HAD THIS MAZE THAT WAS ALWAYS FUN TO RECALIBRATE, AND THERE WAS THE X AND O PUZZLES IN THE ICE, AND OF COURSE, THE OCCASIONAL CROSSWORD WAS ALWAYS FUN.”

“Oh, I love crosswords! I always like to do the ones in the newspaper, when I have the time to. Er, how do I cut up this onion?” You picked up the onion from the counter. Some of the papery thin layers slipped off in your grip, and you watched them fall onto the counter. “Oh! Sorry!”

“WORRY NOT HUMAN! LET ME SHOW YOU!” Papyrus reached over and began mincing the onion carefully, his giant hands dwarfing it and making it look like an apple. “IF YOU LIKE CROSSWORDS, I HAVE A FEW THAT WE COULD WORK ON LATER, IF YOU’D LIKE.”

“Oh, I’d love to do that.” You smiled up at Papyrus as he glanced up at you, not noticing the burning in your eyes from the onion. Papyrus dropped the knife on the counter and turned to you.

“HUMAN! DID I SAY SOMETHING WRONG? WHY ARE YOU CRYING?” Papyrus frowned, wiping his hands on his apron (which, you’d noticed earlier, read “kiss the Papyrus”).

“No, Papyrus, don’t worry. It’s a human thing! The onion vapors make us cry.” You smiled at him to show you were all right. Papyrus smiled back, his browbones returning to their normal, not worried position.

“OH, HOW STRANGE! AND HERE I WAS WORRIED THAT TALKING ABOUT PUZZLES HAD MADE YOU… _CROSS!”_ Papyrus smiled proudly, and you realized he’d made a pun.

You giggled happily. “I thought you hated puns!”

“YOU ARE MISTAKEN, HUMAN. I HATE _BAD_ PUNS, MADE BY A CERTAIN BROTHER WHO KNOWS EXACTLY HOW TO INFURIATE ME!”

“what can i say, you can’t expect me to _mince_ my words.” Sans’ voice came from right behind you. You jumped, turning around to face him.

“How did you sneak up on me like that!” You scolded him, but you’re face betrayed you – you’re still smiling at his pun. “You’re really _cooking_ up some trouble when you do that.”

Sans smiled back at you; his eyes were softer than you’d seen them before. He slowly moved to sit down on the stool next to the counter, speaking as he did so. Your eyes followed him, going briefly up to the hole in his head before finding his eyes again. He glanced back at you.

“so the vapors in the onions make you cry? humans are weird.”

“Yeah, it’s the acidity in the vapors, our eyes react badly to it and produce saltwater from our tear ducts to clean it out.”

Sans browbones raised, intrigued. He processed your words for a minute, his slower than usual processing speed not hindering his curiosity. “so if your tears can be for cleaning. does that mean your eyelashes also have a purpose?”

You nod, “yeah, they’re there to keep dust and stuff out of them.” You finished mincing the garlic Papyrus had handed you. Meanwhile, Papyrus had moved the vegetables to the pot, and was stirring vigorously, his back to you. If you had been able to see his face, you would’ve asked him about the small smile he was wearing. He was enjoying hearing Sans so interested in talking to you.

“I didn’t know you were so interested in biology, Sans,” you said.

Sans looks down, blushing a little. “I…like all science.”

“So do I, and I’m happy to explain things to a fellow science enthusiast. Ask away”

“really? you don’t mind?” Sans stared at you suspiciously, his one red eye light searching your face. You shake your head, smiling at him. “ok then. why do humans hiccup?”

#

You spend the rest of the time preparing dinner satiating San’s curiosity about human biology. While the three of you eat, you ask him questions about chemistry. His explanations were surprisingly well formulated for how quiet he usually was, though of course he slipped a few puns in there, much to Papyrus’s dismay.

Papyrus listened to the two of you, happily eating his spaghetti and commenting on Sans’ puns when necessary. After dinner was done, the three of you cleaned up and went into the living room. You curled up on the couch, with Papyrus sitting a respectful distance away from you, and Sans sitting in his usual armchair.

You watched Mettaton episodes for an hour, listening to Papyrus’s excited comments while Mettaton did acrobatic stunts. You gasped excitedly when Mettaton juggled a chainsaw, and jumped in fear when he almost dropped one. At some point, Papyrus draped a blanket over the two of you, and you absent mindedly moved a little closer to him. Papyrus blushed, enjoying the warmth of your body (though he’d never admit to something so… _inappropriate_ ).

The last episode ended, and you stretched in your seat.

“That was wonderful, but I should probably get going before the last train leaves.”

“don’t worry, i can take you home tonight.” Sans’ piped up from his armchair where he’d been sleeping up until the episode ended. You looked up at Papyrus, who nodded encouragingly. You frowned, considering.

“I don’t know, the neighborhood where I live can be dangerous sometimes, and you might not know how to get back, and it’s pretty far anyway, and-”

“seriously y/n, don’t worry about it. we’ll be there in a flash. just tell me where it is and I can get us pretty close.”

“DON’T WORRY ABOUT SANS, HE IS GOOD AT TAKING CARE OF HIMSELF. NOW THAT YOU TELL ME THE NEIGHBRHOOD IS DANGEROUS, I’M EVEN MORE SURE SANS SHOULD TAKE YOU HOME.”

You shrug, defeated. The truth was you were less worried about it being dangerous, and more worried about what the skeletons would say if they saw your dingy one room apartment. But maybe he didn’t have to walk you into the building.

“Ok, you got me there. I live on the corner of 5th and Western ave.”

“near the donut shop?”

“Yeah, exactly.”

“alrighty, say bye, papyrus.”

The three of you stand up, and Papyrus reaches over to give you another hug, this time leaving you on the ground.

“THANK YOU FOR HAVING DINNER WITH US, I HAD A LOT OF FUN. WE SHOULD DO THIS AGAIN!”

“I’d really like that.” He releases you from the hug, and you smile at him.

“alrighty, hold onto your stomach.” Sans reaches over and puts his hand on your shoulder.

Suddenly, the world turns to darkness, and you gasp as you feel yourself falling through nothing. A wind whirls around your face, and you cry out as you wave your arms, looking for something to grab onto.

And just as quickly as the darkness came, it disappeared. You blinked and realized you were standing in front of your apartment building. It was dark out, but the streetlights were bright above you.

“sorry about that, the first time is always a little rough.” Sans smiled apologetically at you.

“What was that!?”

“just a shortcut.” Sans winks at you. You shake your head, deciding that pushing this probably wouldn’t go anywhere. You turn to walk through your door, determined not to let Sans see inside.

“wait a second, y/n”

Your heart jumped as you turned around, your hand on the doorknob. Sans is still standing under the light.

“Yeah?”

“I just wanted to… apologize.” Sans breaks his gaze, looking down at the ground instead.

“For what?”

“I wasn’t exactly the nicest when you first came to work with us. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have been so threatening. I just want to make sure nobody hurts Papyrus.”

You nod, understanding. “Don’t worry sans, I’d already forgotten about it. It’s normal to be that way towards strangers. You never know who could be out to hurt you.”

Sans looks up at you, concerned. “it’s not normal. it’s not right to threaten people like that, you know that, right? you deserve better - you wouldn’t act that way towards me.”

You frown, looking away. Now you’re embarrassed. You’d never been able to match the anger of those around you, to protect yourself with threats the same way. It was embarrassing, not being able to stand up for yourself.

What Sans was saying didn’t make sense. He and Papyrus were the only people you knew who actually seemed to care about you, other than your mom of course. But that had been a long time ago.

“Yeah, well, maybe I’m just weak. Besides, you and Papyrus are to kind for anyone to treat you badly.” You smile at Sans, ignoring his concerned look. “Goodnight, Sans, thank you for taking me home.” You turn and walk through the door, closing it behind you.

Sans watched you leave, concern still etched into his browbones. He knew how you were feeling. Back underground, no one was nice. Everyone had to look out for themselves, and you couldn’t trust anybody. You would have been torn apart. But things were different on the surface, weren’t they? Kindness wasn’t something to be hoarded, or to be ashamed of. Didn’t you realize that you deserved kindness too?

The same feeling drifted through his soul again, slightly stronger. He closed his eyes, and let himself analyze it.

It was a want. He wanted to make you realize that you were worth something too. You deserved to be happy, just like Papyrus. And maybe he could help you realize that.

Sans opened his eyes, shocked at how the feeling grew as he realized what it was. That was eager thinking. He barely knew you, right? He shouldn’t be getting so attached. But his soul told him something different. He shook his head, chuckling in confusion.

Sans turned and teleported away.

***** WARNING: TRIGGER WARNING. SUMMARY OF THIS PART IS IN THE NOTES****

  
You walked up the wooden staircase towards your apartment, tired from the long day. You walked down the hall, not bothering to keep your eyes forward in your sleepy haze.  
  
  


And not noticing the large man standing in the hallway outside your door. You did notice him, however, when he put his hand out to stop you in your tracks.

“Hey, y/n, how you doing?” Frank stood casually, leaning against your door so you couldn't get past him. “I hope you’re coming from work, and I’m sure you do too, right?”

You stared up at him, your adrenaline rushing through you. You swallowed and pushed the thumping of your heart back down your throat, hoping Frank couldn’t hear how scared you were. You cleared your throat and tried to put on an equally casual tone.

“Yes I am, for a matter of fact. What are you doing here?” You stood straight, trying not to succumb to Frank’s menacing air. How he managed to look so casual but still terrify you so much was a mystery. Probably because you’ve seen what he can do.

“Marcus wants to make sure you’ll make your payment this month. You know, given your lateness in the past.” Frank took out an apple from somewhere, and a knife out from somewhere else. He began cutting a slice out of the apple, slowly gliding the knife through it.

“I have a job I’m working on, I’ll have the money on time.” You clenched your hand into a fist. Sans’ words echoed through your mind, “ _it’s not right to threaten people like that, you know that, right? you deserve better.”_

Frank bit into the apple, talking while he chewed. “Sure, just like last month, and the month before that.” Frank swallowed, “You know, we’re starting to think you need a reminder of what can happen if you don’t have our protection. People can slip up, accidentally hurt you, you know?”

“I –“, you didn’t have a chance to finish your sentence. Frank’s arm shot out of nowhere, dropping the apple on the floor. He grabbed your chin and pulled you close to him. You shrieked, but quickly stopped when you realized his other hand was moving towards you. The one holding the knife. You froze.

Frank pressed the point of the knife against your cheek. You whimpered, too scared to fight back. You deserved this, you were weak, this was your fault.

Frank slid the knife down your cheek.

It was a light stroke, just enough to sting and draw blood. Just enough to make you squeak in fear.

Frank dropped your chin. You collapsed to the floor, shivering.

“Whoops.” he said. He turned away from you. “Guess I slipped up. Got to be careful with knives, huh?”

Frank walked away, leaving you sitting on the floor, the apple next to you. Once he disappeared down the stairs, you stood up and walked into your room, bolting the door behind you. You quickly cleaned up the cut, taking deep breaths until you stopped shaking.

Finally, you collapsed into bed, exhausted.

Sans was wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Frank, a part of Marcus’s gang, is waiting outside your apartment. Frank tells you to make sure you won’t be late with your protection money this month, and leaves you with a cut on your cheek as a warning. You are discouraged, and feel that you deserve it because you are weak.
> 
> Sorry for the angst guys, I hope this wasn’t too unexpected! Don’t worry, there is plenty of fluff in the future, trust me.
> 
> Sorry if any of the formatting was weird, I wrote this in word instead of google drive due to being on the plane, the next chapter will be back to normal.
> 
> Happy holidays!


	5. Painting the Roses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and the skeles go shopping for flowers, and you remember some things

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy belated holidays everyone! Have a long chapter from me. Thank all of you for your amazing comments, hearing from you guys really makes my day and powers my writing abilities. I never thought anyone would ever even read my work, let alone leave such encouraging comments.

You spent the weekend holed up in your apartment. You sit, watching the cut on your cheek scab over and leave a bright red line across your face as the hours go by. Thankfully, you had the book Papyrus lent you to keep you company, which you found yourself getting sucked into. It definitely felt emotionally stimulating enough with the way you kept checking over your shoulder for Frank.

On Monday morning you stood in front of the mirror, dressed for work. You frowned at your reflection, running a finger along the cut. It was ugly.

You were worn out. Spending time with the skeletons had been a nice distraction, but you had to get back to the real world. You needed to finish the job so you could get paid and keep Marcus’s gang off your back for another month.

It had been like this ever since you’d been kicked out the orphanage and you found yourself lost in the city with no place to call home. After a scary week of living in a dingy motel, you’d found your landlord’s listing in a disregarded newspaper and rented the apartment out with the measly funds you had saved up. You moved in immediately.

The next morning, Frank had been at your door, a summons in one hand and his pocket knife casually swinging in his other. You’d froze, just like you always did, and he’d guided you down the stairs and a few blocks to Marcus’s apartment: a giant penthouse suite. You’d never seen anything so shiny or fancy, and your eyes had wandered around from the crystal chandelier to the red velvet furnishing.

Marcus had been sitting on the end of a desk, and he casually explained the situation . Just like any other neighborhood, it was important to be protected, and his gang provided the protection - for a monthly price. With a smile and a wink, he told you if you didn’t pay, it was only a matter of time before some violence accidentally befalls you. If his gang didn’t have the funds, they couldn’t spend the time making sure you were safe. Frank had put a hand on your shoulder and squeezed _hard_ and you’d nodded, understanding.

Then Frank had led you out the door and left you standing outside the building. You’d walked back to your apartment and panicked. You’d thought about leaving, but you had nowhere to go, no other apartment you could afford, and you couldn’t even imagine going to another city. You doubted it would be better, and you couldn’t even afford a train ticket. There would always be people threatening you, trying to hurt you, and you’d always be the same weak person that couldn’t help not fighting back. You’d frozen, and you saw no way out.

So you’d started working odd jobs, paying each month and keeping off the threats. It had worked until now, but it seemed Marcus had been getting impatient with how long it took you to get the money in.

You had to stay focused. You needed to get that money and get him paid, just like you did every month. No more time for fun.

  
  


#

You’d seen a lot of expressions on Sans’ face when he’d opened the door each day last week. Some confusion at the start, a little worry, a lot of slow smiles while he prepped a joke or a pun for you.

You’d never seen a look like this before. His eyes weren’t black, but the eyelights were the smallest you’d seen them, defined and shaking, just slightly. His mouth was slightly opened in a frown, his sockets wide and crinkled at the ends, his brow bones close together. He moved more quickly than you’d seen him move before, moving seamlessly over to you and placing his hand against your cut. You flinched and took a step back, and he reacted quickly, moving his hand back, his concerned face turning into one of anger.

“who did this to you?” Sans spoke quietly, watching you as you recovered from the flinch. You straightened up quickly, brushing your hair back and shrugging. You walked passed him, making sure not to make eye contact.

“Oh, I just fell over when I was cleaning my house. Don’t worry, it’ll heal soon.” You keep your face pointed down the hall. He didn’t respond, but you felt him walking slowly behind you, following you out the back door. You ignored him. The last thing you needed was the two of them thinking you were involved in gang violence and firing you.

“HUMAN! IT’S SO NICE TO SEE Y-” Papyrus stopped waving from where he was in the back of the garden, his eyes locked behind you. You glanced back and realized he’d locked eyes with Sans, who was still standing behind you. You looked back and saw Papyrus walking towards you with the same determined and seamless walk, concern etched all over his face. He stopped in front of you, his eyes wide with concern as his gaze tracked the mark. He looked back at Sans, and read something in his face that could only be understood by a brother. And than he looked back to you with a small smile that didn’t quite go up to his eyes. “IT’S NICE TO SEE YOU. WHAT ARE WE DOING TODAY?”

“It’s time to refresh the soil so it’ll actually grow things. Did you get the soil and fertilizer I mentioned last week?” You picked up another shovel and walked passed him.

“ACTUALLY... WE WERE THINKING YOU COULD COME WITH US TO THE GARDEN STORE, AND MAYBE WE COULD PICK OUT SOME OF THE PLANTS WE MAY WANT TO USE...?” Papyrus spoke with hesitancy, perhaps misreading your stiffening as anger at him rather than the worry that struck you. Another day added to the schedule. You were going to be cutting it close.

#

A few minutes later, you and Papyrus are walking into his garage.

You can't say you were an expert on cars, no. You’d been in a small number of them since your mom died, mostly on small orphanage outings. But you thought you were right when you thought Papyrus’s sky blue punch buggy was the perfect car for him. The minute you walked into the garage with him, all your troubles fly out of your mind as you gasp in surprise and begin giggling.

The car was small but adorable, and Papyrus watched your excitement with a grin, walking past you to present the car in a dramatic fashion, turning to the side and opening his arms wide.

“DO YOU LIKE IT?” He asked, even though your answer was obvious.

“I love it! It’s adorable, just like you!” You missed Papyrus’s blush as you approached the car to look at the light colored interior. You can’t wait to get inside.

“I USED TO THINK I WANTED A FANCY CONVERTIBLE SPORTS CAR, SO I COULD FEEL THE WIND THROUGH MY HAIR, BUT THeN I REALIZED THAT WIGS WERE A BIT TOO ITCHY FOR ME. THAN I SAW THIS CAR! IT’S THE COLOR OF MY SKY, ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS!” He walked up to the window you’re staring into and opened the door for you, gesturing for you to get inside.

“And such a gentleman driving it,” you said to him with a smile.

“BUT OF COURSE! ALL SKELETONS SHOULD STRIVE TO BE THE PERFECT GENTLEMAN TO ALL HUMANS!” Papyrus said as he walked to the other side of the car and got into the drivers seat.

“shouldn’t that be gentleskeleton?” Sans asked from the back seat. You and Papyrus jump in your seats.

“SANS! WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU ABOUT SNEAKING UP ON ME WITH YOUR TELEPORTING! YOU DIDN’T EVEN SEEM INTERESTED IN COMING WITH US BEFORE!” Papyrus scolded Sans as you brushed your hair back, trying desperately to calm your heart rate back to normal. You were more jumpy than usual, which, considering the circumstances, was probably normal.

“yeah well, i guess i just decided i wanted to spend more time with you guys, maybe chat a little. after all, what’s a gardening store without your best _buds_.” Sans is smiling, but he looks at you with serious eyes as he said this, and you gulp, turning back forward and resisting the urge to rub the cut on your cheek.

“HONESTLY SANS, IF YOU’RE GOING TO MAKE GARDENING PUNS THIS WHOLE TIME, I’D RATHER YOU STAY HOME.”

“hey, i gotta try them out so i can _weed_ out the bad ones.”

“LET ME HELP YOU: THEY’RE ALL BAD.”

#

It took 20 minutes for you to drive to the gardening store, with Sans making puns all the way. The car was filled with your giggles and Papyrus’s groans. When you pulled into the parking lot, your mood has completely lifted, and your resolve to focus on work has all but dissolved.

You helped Papyrus pick out the right soils and fertilizers (you were really pulling memories out of the depths of your brain now, along with the info you’d researched on your phone over the weekend), and then it was time to pick the plants. You walked around the store pointing out various bushes and tree saplings, which are added to the order. Then the three of you dispersed to look at the flowers.

You walked past daisies, tulips (your mind flashes back to a joke about kissing), carnations, your mind lost in memories.

_“Mom, why are we putting this stuff in the dirt?”_

_“The roses are really sensitive to pH, so we put in special fertilizer to make sure they’re comfortable.” Your mom takes the bottle from you and ruffles your hair. You stare up at her in wonder._

_“Roses are sensitive? They’re so pretty though, shouldn’t they be tough?” You look down and rub your arm where’d you’d fallen running from bullies the other day._

_“Being sensitive doesn’t mean you’re weak, Y/N, it just means you see the world differently than other people,” she reaches over and picks you up in a hug._

_“But if you’re sensitive, people can hurt you more easily.”_

_“Sometimes you can be hurt more easily, just like the roses. But you can help people more easily too, you can see where they’re hurting and make them feel better. And when you figure out how to deal with the things that hurt, you’ll bloom more beautifully than anyone else, just like the roses.”_

You blinked as you find yourself amongst bushes of roses in the garden store, and for a minute you’re caught in a confusing mess between memories and real life, almost like you’re still sitting in the same garden with your mom like you were years again. Than something caught your eye.

You walked up to the rose bush sporting a breed you’d never seen before. They’re white flowers with specks of pink and red. You stare at them admirably.

“you seem to really like those, huh?” Sans appeared behind you, making you jump once again. You nod, and give him a small smile.

“It’s like someone flicked a paintbrush full of pink paint at them.”

“They’re beautiful,” You missed that Sans was looking at you when he spoke. “But can’t they be hard to take care of?”

You rub one of the petals carefully between your fingers. “I think we’re up to the challenge, if Papyrus wants to.”

“i don’t see why he wouldn’t want them, he’d be happy with any flowers if you chose them,” Sans said. You shrugged, blushing at the idea that Papyrus cared that much so much about your opinion.

“Do you know what these ones are called?” You asked.

Sans bends over slowly, squinting his one red eyelight to read the tag in the dirt. Than he breaks into a giant toothy smile, looking up at you.

“they’re _scent_ imentals.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A flower with a pun name, how could I not? These flowers are very real, just type in "Scentimental Roses" to google and you'll see some pictures of these beautiful flowers. They've always been my favorites, and they just felt right for this story.
> 
> Also, I love headcanoning ht paps as having a blue punchbuggy, it just seems like such a soft and non threatening car, perfect for him!
> 
> Don't be afraid to come say hi to me on my tumblr, I also do a little undertale art (I'm very much an artist in training so don't expect much), and I love it when you guys interact with me! It's @acollegestudentwholovedtumblr. Feel free to send asks about me or the story, and I may give you some fun facts about MC or the boys!


	6. Getting into the Swing of Things

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You try something new

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait for this chapter! In thanks for waiting, have an extra long post. I also changed something in the story - see if you can tell what it is ;)
> 
> For the music links, feel free to play the music when the links are given and follow along with the story.

Now that you had the flowers picked out and ordered, the three of you pile back into the car and start the journey home. Or you would’ve, if the ride hadn’t been interrupted by the sound of a tiger roaring from your side of the car.

Or maybe it was just your stomach growling.

“what... was that?” Sans asks quietly from the backseat. You slide down in your seat and hide your face in your hands.

“It may or may not have been my stomach. I guess I’m a little hungry.” You can feel your face burning as Sans chuckles quietly to himself.

“WELL THAT SIMPLY CAN’T DO. LET’S STOP FOR LUNCH.” Papyrus switches his blinker on and changes lanes to head back into the city. You straighten up.

“Oh no, I don’t know if that’s a good idea, um...” You don’t want to say that you don’t have any money - he might get suspicious about your ability as a gardener if the gardener doesn’t have a living wage.

“IT’S A GREAT IDEA - THERE’S A NEW PLACE I’VE BEEN WANTING TO VISIT. THEY HAVE LIVE MUSIC!”

“Oh but...” You search your mind for a valid excuse. “I didn’t bring my wallet with me.” Technically true, but you only left it behind because it was empty. You glance up at Papyrus, expecting him to be frowning. Instead, he’s smiling, adjusting his glasses in the mirror and humming.

“OH DON’T WORRY ABOUT THAT - CONSIDER IT A TREAT FOR COMING TO THE GARDENING STORE. BESIDES, I THINK YOU’LL REALLY LIKE THIS PLACE.”

“Oh, okay.” You have a feeling that when Papyrus gets determined, he can’t have his mind changed easily, and you weren’t going to say no to free food. Or spending more time with them.

Your original determination to focus on the job had flown completely from your mind.

#

The place you pull into looks way too classy for you. Papyrus parallel parks the car and comes around to let you out, taking your hand as you duck your head through the door. Sans choses to simply teleport through the door, ending up on the sidewalk. Papyrus drops your hand to go and chides Sans for his laziness, and you take a chance to look around, trying to ignore the subconscious emptiness your hand now feels.

You’re not quite to the main part of the city yet, and the buildings are tall, but not skyscrapers - 5 stories at most. You’re in the slightly calmer part of the city, and definitely a higher income area - the buildings are a mix of brick and stone, the sidewalks lined with trees, the road nice and wide. 

Papyrus fills the parking meter and gestures to the restaurant in front of you. The building is made of brick as well, the windows looking into the restaurant. Red overhangs are placed over the windows and a dark wood door stands partially opened. You can hear the sound of a band tuning their instruments inside.

“Isn’t this a little too nice for a lunch place?” You ask Papyrus, slightly nervous. You could barely ever afford to eat out, and even than it would only be fast food. For a brief moment, you worry that they’ll kick you out as soon as you walk in, knowing that you obviously don’t belong there.  _ But that’s silly... right? _

“NONSENSE. THE GREAT PAPYRUS ALWAYS GOES OUT IN STYLE” You look up to see Papyrus posing dramatically, one hand on his hip and the other in the air. If he had a scarf, it would have been waving in the wind. But than he realizes what he was doing and blushed, moving one of his hands to rub the back of the skull, and lowering his shoulders from the confident position. Behind you, Sans looked away sadly.

You frown. That wasn’t right.

“That’s right! You deserve only the best.” You walk over and loop your arm through his, guiding him to the restaurant. He continues to blush, but out of the corner of your eyes you see him smiling, chuckling soft “nyehs” to himself. Sans continued behind you, a brighter look in his eyes.

“A TABLE NEAR THE DANCE FLOOR PLEASE!” Papyrus says to the host, who nods and starts leading them through the restaurant..  _ Wait, dance floor? _

This was going to be interesting.

The host leads you through the restaurant, weaving through tables until you reach one next to a big wooden dance floor. The band was behind the dance floor, revealing the sounds you heard from the door. The three of you sat down at the circular table, and open up the menus. The table is wooden, with a white tablecloth. The seats are wooden with red cushions. And the prices are WAY more than you could ever afford. As you read through the options, the band begins playing a soft song. (authors note: [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCE9iMebyK4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCE9iMebyK4) if you want to listen).

In the end, you let Papyrus order for you. You don’t wanna order something he can’t afford, and you can barely read the itialian on the menu.  He orders for Sans too, rattling off items with a surprisingly good italian accent. The menus are taken, and the three are you are alone at the table.

The band begins playing a more upbeat tune (authors note: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2S1I_ien6A), which you recognize as something from the 20s. A drum plays a beat, and you smile in surprise at the bouncy tempo tap your feet under the table. Your mind briefly flashes back to a time in the orphanage.

_ You’re sitting by the window, staring out at the cars speeding past on the street. You count the colors of the cars, listening to the sound of each car as it wooshes past. The book you were reading, taken from the sparse orphanage library, is sitting next to you on the windowsill. _

_ Suddenly, a man walks by with a boombox. This wasn’t an uncommon occurrence, but the music was. It was swing. You smile. _

__ “DANCE WITH ME.”

You’re startled out of your memory to see Papyrus standing next to you, his hand reaching out to yours, smiling with a small blush. His eyes look so hopeful, but you panic. The trumpets join into the song

“I don’t know how.” You look down, embarrassed.

“THAN IT’S TIME TO LEARN” Papyrus reaches and takes your hand, pulling you off your chair as you scramble to keep up with him. You’re the only two on the dance floor, it being a random time of day for lunch. But you barely notice, you’re totally focused on keeping up with Papyrus.

The main beat picks up, and he’s off, you holding onto either hand as he pulls you around the dance floor with an impressive dance step. You watch his feet and mimic the pattern. Just when you get it, you’re swooping into a turn, Papyrus holding onto one hand as you twirl around. You almost wish you were wearing a skirt so it could twirl around with you.

You’re getting into it, and you want to surprise him, so you finish the twirl by leaning back so you’re both facing the same way, still holding onto one hand. You turn yourself into him, wrapping his arm around you, and he laughs, picking up on the turn and ending it in a dip with his arms supporting your back, the two of you staring into each other’s eyes for a brief moment, both blushing. Then another beat hits and you’re off again, moving from one side to another, your arms swinging.

Papyrus really knows what he’s doing, leading you through different step patterns that you rush to learn. He moves one hand to your hip, checking to watch you’re quick nod of consent before he places it down. The two of you dip your clasped hands, letting them lead you around the floor.

He spins you again, and this time you spin him back, which means you have to let go for a brief moment since he was way too tall for you to ever lift your arm over. But he was back again in a flash, leading you under one arm and twisting you so you’re back is to him, and then doing it in reverse.

He challenging you, smiling as you quickly catch up to him. You always were a quick learner, and you’re life meant you had to be quick on your feet as well. But you want to challenge him too. The clarinet gets a small solo and you get an idea. You wait for him to spin you again, and you one again let go of one hand. But instead of wrapping into him again, you lean back and pull him towards you. He smiles in surprise but takes it in stride, leaping to catch up as you switch the hand holding his and leap after him. He’s waiting for you where you land, and catches you by your hips, picking you up as if you were as light as a feather and spinning you around. You both laugh as the music switches back to the drum beat and he places you back on your feet, your hands clasped.

Both of you are panting, and blushing widely. You don’t think you’d ever been exhilarated in such a happy way.

The trumpet picks up again and Papyrus gives you a sly smile, letting go of both your hands and facing the same way as you, next to you. The beat jumps and he’s off, stepping this way and that without moving from that spot. His hands are out, his fingers spread, and he jumps up to spin, landing with a slide of his foot. He points to you and you jump, having been completely hypnotized by his swing dancing. He winks at you, and nods at himself, taking off at the steps again, more slowly. You realize what he’s saying and begin copying him, picking up the moves quickly. He speeds up, and you do as well, laughing the whole time.

The trumpets take over the rest of the instruments, blaring a loud beat and he turns and grabs you again, swinging you around the room another time before the song ends and the two of you swing into a final dip. You stay there a minute, panting and smiling and laughing. The rest of the restaurant, sparsely packed as it is, beings applauding, and you blush deeper. You’d completely forgot to think about other people watching you, and it had been nice.

A slower song begins (authors note:  [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CI-0E_jses ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CI-0E_jses) ), and you’re off again, this time a little slower as Papyrus takes some time to explain more complex moves.

Sans watches the two of you from the table, picking apart a piece of bread as he smiles widely. His brother was so fuckin’ cool, and you... well he was impressed at how fast you were picking up the steps. And he was happy to see you smiling again.

But the cut on your cheek distracted him, and he frowns, deep in thought. His time in the underground taught him a lot, especially during the famine years. He could read people like a book, and you had been lying about the orgin. You were scared to tell him the truth, and he wanted to knew why. 

He knew injuries, and that was no cut you could get by falling down. That was from a knife, he was sure of it. And the thought of someone cutting you that way... made his nonexistent blood boil to a degree that surprised him. He knew he was starting to care about you, but the amount of fire the cut had lit in his soul was almost overwhelming.

You glance over at him and frown, seeing the look on his face. He autocorrects, turning back into a bright smile, which quickly turns real as you’re swooped away again by Papyrus, letting out a laugh at your surprise.

He chuckles, happy that the two of you are having fun. He files away the cut to the back of his mind, deciding that for now the thing you needed the most was a chance to laugh.

The song ends and Papyrus leads you back to the table, where your plates are waiting for you. 

All three of you have been served some sort of pasta dish, the noddles thick and flat. They’re covered in a marinara sauce, which is filled with sliced mushrooms, and little pieces of chicken. It’s delicious, and you tell him so.

“OF COURSE! WHEN I CAME TO THE SURFACE AND LEARNED ABOUT ALL THE DIFFERENT VARIANTS OF PASTA, WELL, I JUST COULDN’T WAIT TO TRY THEM ALL! I EVEN LEARNED A LITTLE ITALIAN.”

“Oh yeah? Let’s hear some, if you’re comfortable with it.”

“yeah paps, let’s hear how you’re doing with it.” Sans slurps up more pasta, leaving a slight marinara splash on his hoodie. You lean over and dab it with a napkin absentmindedly, and he blushes. “heh, thanks flower.” You blush, jumping a little at the pet name, but you smile at him. He winks.

Papyrus looks knowingly at Sans, and he looks back, raising an eyebrow in return. They seem to be speaking in that special silent brother language again, and you just laugh, completely oblivious to what they’re saying. The finish by nodding to each other, smiling, as if they’d agreed to something. Papyrus turns to you.

“HAI BALLANTO MAGNIFICAMENTE, FIORE, PROPRIO COME IL TUO ASPETTO.” He winks, blushing. 

“Wow, that was amazing! What did you?” You take another bite of your food.

“OH, JUST THAT YOU WERE GOOD AT DANCING.”

You laugh, and the three of you finish your meal and head out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my gosh that was so much fun to write - I just love dancing, and I feel like Papyrus would too!
> 
> I've changed my tumblr username! Come interact with me at @sarah-the-something
> 
> <3 <3 <3


	7. Petrichor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's raining somewhere else

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm alive!!!! I'm so sorry this chapter has taken so long to get out, this semester kicked me in the gut and did not stop just... going. But I did it! I made a chapter! And I have the next two set up and they're definitely gonna stick to the weekly schedule, I promise. But for now, enjoy this chapter!

“HELLO HUMAN, IT’S GOOD THAT YOU’RE HERE, BUT I DON’T KNOW HOW MUCH GARDENING WE CAN DO IN THE RAIN.”

Papyrus had answered the door instead of Sans today, looking worriedly at your wet hair

and sopping wet sweatshirt. You stood in the rain, shivering slightly in the cold.

When you’d gotten up that morning, you’d laid in bed smiling to yourself as you remembered spinning around the room with Papyrus. You hadn’t had that much fun in.... a long time. You’d blushed as you remembered him dipping you, and staring into his eyes. Than you frowned as you realized you’d once again gotten distracted from your goal.

You’d gotten out of bed with renewed determination, promising to yourself that you’d stay focused on getting the money, getting safety. You were going to finish with things by the end of the week, and than you’d get a head start on the next months payment, to make sure they knew you were good for things.

You’d gotten dressed in another flannel work shirt - blue with green underlying pattern - blue jeans, ran a comb through your short hair, and stepped out the door.

And been immediately drenched by pouring rain.

But you ignored the logical part of your brain that said it would be impossible for you to work in weather like this, and started your journey to their house.

Back in the present, you were running your hands through your sopping wet hair, stepping into the skeleton’s cozy house. You shivered slightly from the water, but ignored it in favor of smiling at Papyrus. You’d thought of an idea on your way to their house.

“Don’t worry Papyrus, we can work on things inside today - we still haven’t planned out where all the plants are going.”

“OH THAT’S A GREAT IDEA! I ALWAYS SAY PLANNING IS AN IMPORTANT STEP IN ALL YOU DO.” Papyrus grins happily, “I’LL GO GRAB PAPER AND PENS.” He dashed up the stairs, nyehing happily.

You smile after him and pad over to the table, already organizing the rose bushes that had been bought by sensitivity to ph and need for shade. You sat down, humming to yourself, and had a few seconds of calm before a fluffy pink towel was suddenly dropped over your head, blocking out your vision. You squeak, but calm down as soon as you hear Sans’s trademark chuckling behind you.

“sorry flower, just making sure the rain doesn’t put a _damp_ er on things. ”

You grumble at him from under the towel, glad he can’t see you blushing at the pet name you’d forgotten about. You pull the towel off of your head and pat yourself down as much as you can, glowering at Sans the whole time. He just kept chuckling at you, moving to sit down next to you at the table.

“Are you going to help us with planning?”

“eh, I might help with _weeding_ out your ideas.” He chuckles to himself. Than he looks at your cheek, tracing it with his eyes, “hey, about that-”

“I HAVE RETURNED WITH THE PROPER TOOLS TO ORGANIZE A PROPER GARDEN!” Papyrus announces happily, interrupting whatever Sans had been about to say. You sigh quietly to yourself, glad you didn’t have to deal with any more questions from him.

The three of you spend the afternoon playing around with paper cutouts of the various plants, Sans less helping and more providing as many plant related puns at every point that he could fit them in (“maybe we should _branch_ out more” “SANS!”), and you enjoying yourself as you listened to the rain pattering outside.

Soon it was time to go. The rain, however had other ideas, and began picking up, coming down hard and bringing strong winds with it. You and Papyrus stood by the window looking outside.

“yeah i dunno flower, i don’t think it’s gonna be safe for you to go outside like that.” Sans says from his seat on the couch.

“Why don’t you just teleport me home?” You ask. Sans looks at you and shrugs nonchalantly (a little too nonchalantly, in your humble opinion).

“eh, it’s a long way and i don’t have the energy right now. plus I don’t like being out in the rain.” He smiles at you, and you totally want to call him on his laziness, and on the fact that his answer seemed way to suspicious.

“I THINK IT MIGHT BE BEST IF YOU STAY THE NIGHT, HUMAN.” Papyrus pipes in.

Oh no, no way. If there’s anything that might make you too attached to the brothers, it would be a slumber party. If you wanted to stay focused on your goal, you couldn’t allow yourself to have fun with this job.

“I’m just going to risk it” You say, mimicking Sans’s shrug.

  
You turn to go out the door, trying to ignore Papyrus’s nervous muttering behind you.

"Seriously, Papyrus, I’ll be fine, it’s just a little rain,” you reach out and grab the door handle.

A crack of thunder reverberates through the house.

You let out an undignified squeak and jump in your place. Behind you, Papyrus jumps as well, and leaps forward, grabbing you in his arms and bringing you up to his height, your legs dangling in the air. Sans’s eye lights go out completely, his grip on the sofa’s arm creating cuts in the fabric.

There’s a pause.

“Ok, I’ll stay.”

#

Twenty minutes later, you’re curled up on one side of the couch, with Sans sitting on the other side. Papyrus had been reluctant to let you go, and while you had to admit being held in his sturdy arms was comforting, it was hard from practical (and far from professional). Instead, he’d dropped you on the couch, covered you with a blanket, and went into the kitchen to make the three of you hot chocolate.

You snuggle into your blanket, humming softly. Somewhere in the back of your mind, your conscious was screaming that you were doing the exact opposite of what you’d resolved to do this morning. But the storm raging outside was cold, and the inside with friends was warm, and your monkey brain decided to smother your rational mind in favor of enjoying the night.

You look over at Sans, about to comment on the sound of the rain on the roof, but stop once you see his expression. His eyelights are back, and he’s sitting straight up, his right hand gripping the couch’s arm, his head staring straight forward. His mouth is stuck in a wide smile, twitching slightly at the sides. A drop of sweat drips down his forward.

“Sans?” You scoot closer to him on the couch, softly speaking his name.

Another crash of thunder hits, and you jump in your seat again. You hear another loud noise, this one coming from next to you. You look at Sans and realize he’s crushed the arm completely, bits of wood and cotton fluff are leaking through his fingers.

_Oh._

You cautiously reach out and place your hand on Sans’s forearm, worried about your friend. Immediately, his head turns to your, his eyes filled with unrecognition for a scary moment. Than he blinks, muttering your name quietly.

“Do you not like the thunder?” you ask quietly. He looks away, speaking under his breath.

“sounds like cave ins. underground.” He turns to his right hand, lifting it up slowly as he sees the broken wood and cloth below. “Crap...”

Thunder crashes again, and you both jump this time. Moving so unusually fast that you barely even see, he grabs your arm and pulls you close to him. You squeak and twist, moving as you’re pulled so that you end up almost sitting sideways in his lap, your back against his right arm, his left arm curled around you so that you are trapped in a tight hug.

You gasp, unused to physical touch from Sans. Sure, Papyrus was hug friendly, but Sans had always kept distance between the two of you. Now, you found yourself noticing how strong and stable his bones felt. You were dwarfed by him, the top of your head only going up to his shoulders despite sitting on top of his legs. A flash of lightning hits outside the window and he hugs you tighter.

“Uh, Sans?” You squirm a little. Sans blinks, looking down at you. You smile back at him. “It’s just thunder.” He doesn’t respond. “Positive particles on the top of the cloud are attracted to negative particles on the bottom and it creates a charge of electricity that hits the ground, though it’s very rare for it to hit anybody. The lightning makes a sound, and that’s thunder.”

You feel him shift under you slightly, relaxing his spine.

“why is there time between the lightning and thunder?” he asks you. You have a feeling this is something Sans knows or could find out easily given his scientific background, but you humor his question.

“Light moves faster than sound, so it takes longer for the thunder to reach us. You can even count the seconds between them to figure out how far away the lightning is.”

Just on cue, lightning flashes through the window and Sans tenses up again. You reach over and grab his hand, holding it in both of yours. Yours look like doll hands compared to his.

“Watch, one mississippi, two mississippi, three mississippi, four mississippi, five mississippi” the thunder strikes, and Sans jumps, but not as much as the previous time. “See, now we know the lightning was a mile away.”

Another flash of lightning streams through the window. “Count with me, one missisippi, two missisippi....”

“...three mississippi, fourmississpii,” Sans counts along with you. You get to 8 mississippis before you hear the thunder. This time, he almost smiles at you.

The two of you keep counting together as lightning hits. At some point, Sans reaches up and starts running his fingers through your hair. You flinch slightly when he starts, and he pulls away, but you lean back into his hands to let him know its ok. You know he’s not going to hurt you. He’s not like Marcus.

This is how Papyrus finds the two of you, counting together slowly, you cuddled into Sans’s lap as he runs his hand through your hair. He smiles, handing you a mug of delicious hot chocolate. Than he puts a movie on and joins you on the couch, stretching out and leaning against the two of you.

You feel yourself slowly drifting into sleep, feeling safe and secure for the first time in a while. As your world slowly turns dark, you think to yourself.

_Maybe enjoying this is worth it._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why did Sans not want to teleport? Nobody knows (except the author, of course, muahahahah)
> 
> Why did Papyrus not question him? Let's just say brotherly instinct.
> 
> And when will Reader accept the soft boys and relax? Well, you'll just have to wait and see won't you ;)


	8. I'll be your rock

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some things are better said in the dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember that time I said I was going to post weekly, and then my school kicked me out cause of corona and I had to panic store my stuff and get home and deal with managing my life while everything around me fell apart?
> 
> At least I'm getting the chapter in now! 
> 
> heheheh.... oh dear

_ He’s coming. He’s coming and you’re hiding in the closet where she’d shoved you. You can hear him yelling, her yelling. You can’t let this happen, you can’t. You open the door. There’s a gun. There’s screaming. What did you do? WHAT DID YOU DO. THIS IS YOUR FAULT. _

“y/n! y/n! wake up!”

You gasp, sitting up quickly, drenched in sweat. You’re in a bed you don’t recognize, in a room you don’t recognize. Someone is there, you can’t see them, your vision can’t focus, you have to run, you have to get out, you have to hide.

“flower, it’s me, it’s me, you gotta breath.”

You’re flailing your arms, but suddenly someone is holding them, someone is holding you tight, their giant arms wrapped around you, shushing you softly, pulling you into their lap, cradling you while you sob against their chest. 

You don’t know why, but you stop fighting.

Slowly the world comes into focus again. 

You reign in your sobs and lift your head slightly. Sans is holding you tightly, his cheek resting on your head, muttering words of comfort. He senses you moving and lifts his head up as well, a slight blue blush on his cheeks.

“Sans? How did I...?”

“you fell asleep on the couch, so we moved you to my bed. don’t worry, i was sleeping with papyrus. i just got up and heard you screaming, figured you were having a bad dream so i came to wake you,” he shrugs, looking away. “didn’t mean to scare you when i woke you up.”

“Nono, you didn’t scare me, I just had trouble shaking off the dream. Thank you for waking me,” now you’re blushing, realizing he was there for the entire episode of crying. Sans looks at you curiously.

“do ya wanna talk about it? i got some experience with bad dreams myself.”

You flush even more, looking away, “I just have some things I don’t want to remember, that’s all.”

Sans sighs to himself, “yeah, i get that.”

There’s a silence that hangs between you. You take the moment to wipe away your tears. You look around the room you’re in, noticing the pile of socks in the corner, and a desk covered in... rocks? A couple of them sparkle as you tilt your head at them, and you shuffle off Sans’s lap, curious.

“Do you collect rocks?” You look back at Sans, making sure it’s ok for you too look. He nods at you, giving a small smile.

“yep, feel free to take a look. they’re not fragile”

You approach the desk, excited. They’re organized in a manner you guess has something to do with geology. You recognize the ones on the left as sedimentary, and the ones after as igneous, so that means the third group is metamorphic. Past that, however, you don’t know why they’re lined up, maybe something to do with hardness? Or rarity? You stop to admire a large piece of pirate - that must have been one of the sparkling rocks.

“I know this one is called fool’s gold because it tricks you into thinking you’ve found gold, but I always thought that was kind of unfair. It’s still pretty, it isn’t just an imitation of something else worth more,” you say. Sans makes a thoughtful noise. You put the pirate down and fiddle around with a green rock you don’t know the name of. You glance back at Sans, a questioning look in your eyes.

“that’s quartzite.” He chuckles, “that was the first one in my collection - there was a bunch of it outside mount ebott.”

You frown, a question pushing at the inside of your mouth. You try to stop it, try to keep yourself from getting close, but you can’t help it.

“What was it like, down there?” You glance up at his eyes, watch as the one eyelight shrinks as he looks down.

“some things I don’t want to remember,” he chuckles softly, echoing you. You frown, looking back to the desk.

You pick up nothera rock that caught your eye in the dim moonlight, a smooth black one, almost like glass. It’s shaped in a crescent, and you hold it in your hand with your thumb moving back and forth across the curve. You move back to the bed, still absently feeling the curve with your thumb. You sit down next to him. It’s silent.

“How about I tell you something if you tell me something?” You look up to him. He’s frowning, shit, “but please don’t feel pressured, you really don’t have to-”

“heh, it’s ok. i’ll tell you something, you tell me something, no pressure on how big it is, we can stop whenever.”

It’s quiet for a second, each of you waiting for the other to start. You want to say something, but you haven’t talked about it in years. You don’t know how to start. So you start from the beginning.

“My mom was the kindest person I’ve ever known. She was so beautiful, so caring, so perfect,” you shuffle backwards so your back is against the bed.

“the underground used to be nice, not perfect of course, but nice. enough food, everyone happy and hopeful,” he sighs.

“She saw the best in everyone. I used to say she could find the beauty in a pile of trash. Maybe that’s why she fell in love with my dad.”

“then the human came. the human came and ruined everything.”

“He was horrible and mean and loud and just so intense.”

“Then all the food ran out.”

“Then came that night.”

You both pause. You’re shaking slightly, taking deep breaths. Sans looks at you, and his face suddenly turns into a grin.

“What?”

“i see you really like that obsidian.” He gestures to the black rock you’d picked up. You realize you’d been rubbing it your cheek like you had your thumb. It had felt cool and comforting against the cut. You immediately stop, blushing.

“Whoops, I’m sorry-”

“don’t be. it was cute.”

  
Well now you’re blushing more.

“y/n?” Sans says softly.

“Yeah?”

“i know you don’t want to talk about how you actually got that cut on your face- no don’t try to defend yourself, it’s ok, you don’t have to. i just want to tell you that if you’re ever in danger, we’re here for you. just send us a text, or a call, we’ll come find you. i’ll give you our numbers before you leave.”

You nod, not knowing what else to say.

#

  
  


An hour later, Sans is still awake, sitting alone in the living room. He’d left you to go back to sleep, still holding onto that piece of obsidian.

When he’d heard you moaning in your sleep, he didn’t even think. He’d just teleported to you and held you into his arms. That feeling in his soul hadn’t gone away, that  _ want  _ to make you happy, and it came through in spades when he was holding you in his arms.

What was going on?

Sans wasn’t the sentimental type. Ever since the underground, the only person he cared about was Papyrus. What business did you have waltzing into his life, all kind and caring. When he saw you smile, he wanted to make sure that smile never went away.

And that scared him. He was scared of caring, scared of losing, scared of showing himself to another person.

But you made it so easy.

  
You made it so easy to feel safe, to feel like he wanted to be with you. And stars, where did that  _ talking _ come from? He’d never shared anything about the underground before, and there he was, all ready to share things with you. If you hadn’t stopped, he might’ve told the whole story.

No. He wouldn’t -  _ couldn’t _ tell you what he did. But he’d come close.

By the end of the month, the gardening job would probably be done. Unless you mess things up, Papyrus will probably still want you to stick around. Then he can sit down and think more about what his feelings meant. Until then, he decided, he’ll just try to enjoy himself.

And if anyone gets close to cutting you like that again...

Well maybe he’ll just have to see what his soul, and his magic, has to say about that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Telling secrets is so much easier at night, isn't it?
> 
> regardless of whatever old end notes I can't erase say, my tumblr is @sarah-the-something, come say hi! I love to receive asks or messages of any kind, and you can feel free to ask me questions about the story/characters/universe of How to Bloom! (unless it's a huge spoiler, in which case I'll just give cryptic hints)
> 
> I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy in this crazy world we live in!
> 
> <3 <3 <3


	9. April Showers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the spring comes music

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! I hope you are all staying healthy and safe, and staying inside! Things have been a lot, but I know that together we can make it through this!

[ _ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18JQUYgpOlw _ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18JQUYgpOlw)

_ March winds and April showers _

You and Papyrus are mixing newspaper and old vegetables to make compost in your new compost bin. Papyrus is chatting excitedly about how much waste it’ll save. You smile and make your way towards the kitchen to grab some water, but trip and almost fall into the pile of old vegetable scraps. Papyrus grabs you at the last minute and sets you straight, tutting about your clumsiness. 

_ Make way for sweet May flowers _

It’s Friday and you’re staying for another movie night. You’re watching Monty Python, sitting between the two brothers on the couch munching popcorn. Sans can’t stop laughing at the Black Knight, and Papyrus sighs at his immaturity. When the question about Swallows comes, Papyrus knows the answers for both the African and the European Swallows, and you discover his interest in birds.

_ And then comes June, a moon and you _

The roses have arrived, along with the other plants you had ordered. The two of you move them around and start digging holes. Sans encourages you from the porch while reading a book. You point out that you can see the moon during the day and Sans perks up, talking about astronomy. Papyrus chirps in with a story about glowing crystals that they used to wish on like stars in the underground. You listen intently, dirt under your fingernails and a smile on your face.

_ March winds and April showers _

It’s the weekend and you’re counting the little money you have while sitting on your bed in the apartment. You’d found an apple outside your door that morning and locked yourself in, too scared to go outside again. You needed to finish up the project soon.

_ Romance will soon be ours _

Sans had put on music during lunch and Papyrus decided to teach you more dance moves. As before, you are shocked by his athletic ability and energy. You laugh as you twirl around the living room, Papyrus holding your hand and smiling. 

_ An outdoor paradise for two _

Sans and Papyrus sit together on the back porch, sipping tea. They’re chatting about small things, like the birds they hear and what they should have for dinner. The topic of the garden comes up and Papyrus begins chatting about you excitedly. Sans asks what will happen when the job is over. Papyrus frowns.

_ March winds and April showers _

You’re late, having missed the train, and Sans opens up the door much faster, a worried look on his face. You raise your eyebrows at him, and he chuckles, blushing, and invites you in. He mutters something about being worried under his breath.

_ Make way for sweet May flowers _

Sans shows up with a pile of wood, rope, and nails and no explanation of where they came from. He points to the two large trees in the back and explains his idea for a bench swing that hangs off the branches. Papyrus is smiling proudly at his brother. You pick up a piece of wood. It’s oak, or you think it is, smooth and strong.

_ And then comes June, a moon and you _

You’d stayed the night and decided to surprise them with homemade french toast, something your mother taught you to make when you were young. You add cream to the egg, mixing in cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. Sans comes downstairs and is over to the stove instantly, smelling the food. He asks if it will be  _ bready _ soon and you tell him that was the worst pun you’d heard him made. He complains that he’s too hungry for cleverness and points out the window. He takes a piece from the pan while you’re looking. You yell after him, scolding, while he sets the table. But you’re still smiling.

_ March winds and April showers _

Papyrus sits by himself in the bench swing, mulling things over. There’s only a couple days of work left, and the garden looks amazing. But that means he won’t see you every day. It’s occurred to him that you only show up because you’re being paid, not because you want to be friends with him. But you spent extra time with him that you didn’t need to, so maybe he’s wrong. 

He’s not dumb, he knows he’s developed a crush on you. Your warm smile, your thoughtfulness, your kindness. The time to you take to think about things carefully before making a decision. The effort you put into making sure everyone’s smiling. The small things that give you joy like spotting a humming bird in the trees. 

But he doesn’t need you that way, not if you don’t want it. He just wants to make sure he’ll still have you as a friend.

_ Make way for the happy hours _

Sans sits in his room, trying and failing to focus on the mystery novel he’s reading. He knows you’ll be done soon and he doesn’t want to think about what the house would be like without you in it so often. He wants to trust his gut feeling that tells him you’d probably want to come visit to see Papyrus, but he’d lost his trust in people so long ago.

A small part of him shouts out that he wants you to come visit to see him too, but he pushes it away. He can’t get his hopes up.

_ And the May time, June time, love time and you _

You sit on your bed, looking at a picture you’d taken on your phone. Papyrus is in the middle of the frame kneeling down and tending to a rose bush. You’re holding the camera high and smiling, your face peeking out of the corner of the picture. Sans is on the other side of the frame, holding a bag of dirt for Papyrus. He is also smiling into the camera.

They’re the first true friends you’ve had since you were small, and you find yourself filled with so much happiness looking at the photo. But you’re also confused. Do you have time for friendship? What happens when you move on to other jobs? Do they actually like you or would they have been happy being friendly with anyone working on their garden?

Tomorrow you’ll get paid, and you’ll have to decide what to do. You don’t know if they’ll still want to spend time together.

  
All you can do is hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you say writing tropes? Sometimes you just gotta write the fluff and the fun, sprinkle in some angst, and take the writing dopamine. What can I say?
> 
> Come say hi at my tumblr, @sarah-the-something (ignore what the other note I can't delete says), I love to interact with people and I am happy to answer any questions about the fic, or prompts involving the characters!
> 
> I hope you all are doing well! <3


	10. Swing Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You finally talk things out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all are staying safe and healthy in these stressful times! I took a brief break from HTB to work on a self indulgent one shot (posted on AO3 in case any of you want to read it, it is definitely corona related as I used it as a way to vent some corona related stress, but it has a happy fluffy ending, I promise).
> 
> Anyway, for HTB, this chapter has been a long time coming. Hopefully it ends well!

As it always seems to do, the last day finally came. The plants were planted, the grass grown, the roses budding, and the wood bench swinging between the trees. The three of you sit on said bench, admiring the view. The radio is playing soft music as you swing, squished between Papyrus and Sans. You can’t for the life of you find another way to make this garden better. The three of you even planted an apple tree to grow next to the porch.

“I guess we did it,” you say, regretting the words coming from your mouth.

“YES. IT LOOKS WONDERFUL,” Papyrus says, his tone uncharacteristically dry.

“I guess you guys don’t need me anymore?” you wish you weren’t saying the words, but you knew you had to. You couldn’t make them feel obligated to keep you around.

“NO... NOT WITH THIS.” Papyrus says. You feel Sans shift slightly to look up at Papyrus, a frown on his face instead of his unusual cheshire grin. You feel something fall into your lap.

It’s an envelope, but you’re not sure which brother it came from. You pick it up, and there’s a set of cash, more than you ever thought the job would give you.

“I-”

“don’t worry, your work was worth far more than that, flower,” Sans interrupts whatever questions you were about to ask. You hold the envelope in your hand, an ugly feeling building in your chest. This hadn’t been work. This was fun. This had been you gaining two actual friends, two people you actually had fun being around. And now you had no excuse to be with them.

  
Did they even want you around? They gave you the cash, so it really was a job ( _ why were you questioning that?!) _ . Maybe Papyrus was just that nice to everyone. Maybe they didn’t even think of you as a friend. You weren’t worth that kind of love anyway.

_ No _ , a part of your brain shouted,  _ those moments weren’t nothing. Dancing with Papyrus, laughing with Sans, that’s not something you do with someone you hire. _

So does that mean...? Your heart steels with determination.

“I can’t... I can’t take this money from you guys,” You look up fiercely, lifting up the envelope and trying to hand it to Papyrus. Behind you, Sans frown turns to a small smile.

“BUT, YOU DID THE WORK... I... DON’T?” Papyrus looks at you, confused.

“I can’t take this money. This was more than a job, wasn’t it? It was more than that,” You suddenly lose your bravado, “...right?”

A drop of sweat beads on Papyrus’s skull, and he looks left and right, confused. Your heart plummets further than the floor. You were wrong, it was just a job. You can’t help yourself, tears start to form on your eyes. Papyrus makes eye contact and jumps slightly.

“I MEAN, OF COURSE YOU’RE MORE THAN JUST SOMEONE WE HIRED! BUT YOU DID WORK FOR US, WHEN YOU COULD HAVE BEEN WORKING SOMEWHERE ELSE?” Papyrus reaches up and rubs the back of his skull. Somewhere behind him, a bird whistles a song. In the distance, another whistles back.

You sigh, still worried and confused but with a small spark of hope in your chest. Behind you, you hear Sans shifting and you watch Papyrus look up to watch. 

“But if I take the money, that means you were just paying me to stick around, and that means I was just around for the money, and not for anything else. But that’s not why I spent all that extra time with you guys. It wouldn’t be fair to accept money for fun. Does that make sense?”

From the look on Papyrus’s face, it didn’t. You try again, taking a deep breath.

“You guys are the nicest people I’ve ever been around. You’re so kind, and funny, and you make me feel safe, and wanted!” you brush a piece of hair behind your eyes. “I guess what I’m trying to say is... I don’t want to just be the friendly gardener. I want to be friends, like, REAL friends. I want to stick around now that the garden is done. I want to keep having sleepovers and dancing and sitting in this chair and watching the stars and talking about puns and birds and cheesy movies. And if I take the money, that means I can never be friends like that. I’ll just be someone you pay to be around, it just doesn’t feel right. You know?” That was a lot of words. That was a lot of words and a lot of emotions. Your doubt tugs at your heart again and for a moment you’re terrified you just COMPLETELY overstepped some boundaries.

“OF COURSE YOUR OUR FRIEND! HAVEN’T WE SAID THAT ALREADY LIKE, FIFTY TIMES?” Papyrus is smiling, his previous nervousness gone.

“Really? But, you’re still paying me?” you look down at the envelope again.

“i think you have your worries in a twist, flower. i’m pretty sure papyrus was worried you were only sticking around for the money, right bud?” Sans says behind you. You glance back at his smile before looking up to Papyrus, who is blushing a bright orange.

Could it actually be that he... wanted you to stick around?

You feel a smile forming.

“So you won’t take the money than?” you say, moving to hand it back to Sans. A small part of your brain starts screaming that you need the protection money, but you shove it deep down.

Sans puts his hand up, stopping your arm in its path.

“just cause you’re our friend doesn’t mean we don’t wanna pay you back for all the time you spent on this with us. especially since if you don’t get paid than you’ll have gone a month with no income.”

Your stomach twists, your heart conflicted. Papyrus picks up your other hand and pats it gently.

“WE WON’T SEE IT AS US PAYING YOU TO HANG AROUND. FRIENDS PAY EACH OTHER BACK FOR THINGS ALL THE TIME. IN THIS CASE, IT’S JUST FOR TIME AND EFFORT INSTEAD OF ANYTHING ELSE!”

“if you have to, imagine it like we’re going from work friends to normal friends.”

You take a minute to think, finally nodding and sticking the envelope into your pocket.

“NOW THAT’S SETTLED, WHY DON’T WE HAVE SOME NICE CREAM?” Papyrus stands up, taking your hand to help you up.

“That sounds wonderful!” you smile, so relieved, and for the first time, genuinly excited for what the future will bring.

Papyrus (with your permission) takes your hand, and the three of you walk to the kitchen, giggling about silly things and planning how to spend the weekend together.

  
  


#

Late that night, you’re walking back into your apartment building, stifling your yawn with your hand. You’d stayed late watching silly movies with Sans and Papyrus, laughing over popcorn, cuddled between the two of them with a large blanket keeping the three of you warm.

You hum a swing tune to yourself, still smiling as you walk up the stairs.

You reach your apartment door, unlocking it and reaching lazily to the light switch. You flip it, blinking to let your eyes adjust.

Frank is sitting in front of you.

He’s lounging lazily in a chair (your ownly chair) that he’s dragged in front of the door, obviously waiting for you. He’s got his legs crossed and he picks at a nail casually, his knife in his other hand.

Your heart stops. Then it starts again, beating faster than it ever had, like a hummingbird on a casual day.

“Well, isn’t this a cozy place? I knew this apartment building was shitty, but you’ve managed to  _ almost _ turn it into something a cockroach might deem worthy. Almost.” He looks at you, his mouth neutral but his eyes crinkled at the ends in an evil smile.

“F-Frank, what?” You’re too scared for the words to come out. All your previous happy thoughts have flown out the door. All of the tiny bits of confidence you’d gained this month are nowhere to be found. As is the ability to move your legs. Your mind is screaming to run, but your muscles are locked in terror.  _ Idiot, why aren’t you running! Move! _

“Oh honey, I thought we’d made things clear? It’s the end of the month, sweety, and unfortunately, your protection money is nowhere to be found. And, oops, I think you might be in danger! If only you’d paid!” Frank says, as he stands up, brushing invisible dirt off of his knees.

“Wait, I have the money, I just forgot to drop it off this afternoon-” you take the envelope out of your pocket. How could you be so stupid, how did you forget you had to leave, just because someone offered you some nice cream?

“Ah, you know, that would have been good to know. But unfortunately, the boss doesn’t want people thinking they can be late with no consequences. Examples have to be made, you know? Too bad it had to be you.”

You still can’t get your legs to move, but you manage to bring your other hand into your pocket, sliding open the keyboard of your phone, which you know will open up the texting feature. You slowly type a four letter message into your phone as Frank takes a step closer to you. You back up, matching Frank’s pace until you reach the wall, and your heart stops for a second time that evening. You press the up arrow, which you know will change where the keyboard is inputting from the message to the contact. You type in a four letter name. 

“I do think I’ll take that envelope though, once I’m done with you. Can’t have good money go to waste, can we?” Frank laughs, as obviously his joke was just  _ so  _ hilarious.

You press send, thinking for a brief moment how glad you are that you’d left the volume off.

And then Frank reaches you.

#

. Back at the skeletons’ house, Papyrus is cleaning in the kitchen while Sans sits in the living room, lounging on the couch and releasing one pun after the next while Papyrus groans. Sans’ phone chimes, but he ignores it to send out another couple of puns. Papyrus turns around at a particularly bad one, stamping his foot a couple times for good measure.

“SERIOUSLY SANS, I DON’T KNOW WHY Y/N PUTS UP WITH YOUR HORRIBLE PUNS!”

“probably because they’re like dead batteries,” he pauses while Papyrus lifts his brow bones at him. “they’re free of charge.”

Papyrus groans even louder, putting his hands on his head. Sans’ phone chimes a second time to remind him that he had a text he hadn’t read, and he lazily reaches over to check it.

“hey papyrus, knock knock,” he says as he unlocks his phone, his fingers going at their usual slow pace.

“SIGH. WHO’S THERE?” Papyrus turns back to the counter he was washing.

“broken pencil.”

“BROKEN PENCIL WHO?”

“.......”

“SANS? BROKEN PENCIL WHO?”

Sans’ phone lands on the ground. Papyrus turns to see the living room empty. He frowns, confused, walking over to the phone and picking it up, wondering what text could have caused Sans to teleport without warning.

...... Oh.

The phone drops for a second time as Papyrus’s hands move to cover his gasping mouth. The phone falls with the screen face up, displaying the single text message.

It’s a message from you, your name followed by the flower emojis Sans had added to your contact.

“help”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Never mind, it's pointless.
> 
> (Come say hi and yell at me for this cliffhanger at @sarah-the-something on tumblr!)


	11. The Moment We've All Been Waiting For

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans and Papyrus come to your rescue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My gosh, this chapter has been a long time coming but boy was it hard to write. I wanted it to be just right, but I have a feeling I'd never be satisfied with it. It may be a little shorter than usual because once I reached a certain spot it felt right to end it there.
> 
> TRIGGER WARNING: There is violence in this chapter, there is a summary of potentially triggering content in the end notes.

Sans crashes into the brick wall in front of him, misjudging his teleport in his stress. He’s at your apartment building, the one he’d only known how to find because of the night he’d taken you home. Thank god for that night.

He moves fast, faster than he usually does, reaching the door of the building only to find it locked with a keypad. He panics for only a brief second, jiggling the doorknob helplessly before he finally sends a bone attack through the knob and pushes the door open with a slam.

_ whatroomwhatroomWHATROOM? _

Sans rushes up the stairs, desperately trying to figure out which floor you could be in, which room could be yours. His magic flowing through his body like a racing heart bumps blood. In his panic, memories of you flash through his brain. Sharing puns as they sit on the porch, watching you smile as you dance with Papyrus, laughing at silly movies as they sit together on the couch. You, sitting in his lap, calming him during a panic attack as the lightning flashes outside. Watching you as you lean forward and smell a rose, the colors only adding to the brightness of your smile.

He hears a scream in the distance, one he just  _ knows _ is yours. It’s followed by laughter, an evil, cackling, laughter that reminds him of one he’d heard before, a long time ago when Frisk was still doing resets, when he faced them in the hall -  _ no, no. not the time for flashbacks.  _ Sans shakes his head, trying to snap out of the hole his brain is falling into.  _ keep it together sans. _

He takes off towards the scream, his sensitive hearing telling him it came from the floor above. When he finally reaches the floor, he looks madly down the hallway, spotting an open door. He hears a bang, like something landing against the floor. He doesn’t hesitate, he teleports directly to the door, just in time to see a man kicking you hard in the gut while you lie curled against the wall. You have a cut on your forehead, the blood streaming down to your swollen eye, which has been hit pretty hard. Your left hand is pressed against your side as you cough madly and groan. Your right hand is clutching your wrist.

The man brings his leg back for another kick, but it never make contact. Sans reaches his hand forward and a *ping* is heard from somewhere before the man is surrounded by a blue glow. He has a brief second to look down in confusion before he is suddenly flung across the room, slamming hard into the wall. 

The man screams, but gets cut off as he’s brought to the other wall at the same speed, then lifted up into the air and slammed against a floor of jagged bones that come out of the ground. He groans as the blue glow disappears, and he slowly tries to bring himself up to a standing position. He only gets so far as a crouch before he’s barraged with more bone attacks from every direction knocking him in one direction after another. There’s no blood, as there never is with monster attacks, but he’s covered in growing bruises from being slammed across the room, and he groans with pain as each bone strikes him in his Soul.

“ _ you hurt her.”  _ Sans lifts his hand up, his one red eyelight replaced by a blue and red glow leaking out of his eye socket. A blaster appears behind him as he summons it, a giant dragon skull with horns curling out of a teeth filled head. It opens its mouth wide, preparing its attack-

“No, wait, Sans,” your voice is deadly quiet, but his heightened senses hear you and the blaster freezes. “Don’t kill him, it’s not worth it.” You go to say more, but your coughing keeps you from doing so. You need help.

Sans pauses. In another time, he would have killed the man, damned to anyone who thought he shouldn’t. But now, you weren’t anyone. You were, well,  _ you. _ He dispels his blaster, moving over to you and picking you up bridal style. You feel tiny in his arms, helpless, but you curl against him, tucking your head against his chest as you groan. He looks over at the man lying on the floor.

“you’re lucky I have to take her to get help. You even so much as look at her again and you’re  **dead.** ” He turns and teleports away.

#

Papyrus turns in his pace, making what feels like his 100th lap around the couch in his nervousness. After he’d read your text, he’d panicked and went to the door, almost opening before he realized he had no idea where you were. He knew you told him your address at some point, but in his anxiety he couldn’t for the life of him remember. Why didn’t he write it down?!?

He wanted to call the police, but than started worrying that in his panic Sans might do something the police might not like. He knew his brother had improved so much since the underground. The things they’d both done to survive had been... horrible, and even though they’d immediately stopped once they had left the underground, he knew Sans could still get intense when he was worked up. And besides, he wouldn’t even know where to send the police.

He was stuck, but he’d never been the person to just sit when he was this worried, so he paced, moving in circles around the couch.

He’d been so happy when you told him how much he mattered as a friend. The look on your face has been so strong, so sincere, and his soul had shook with excitement. He’d never felt anything like this before about someone. Every time you smiled, his Soul sang. Every time he picked you up and twirled you around it just felt right to have you in his arms, like you a part of him he never knew was missing. You were the best friend he’d ever had, he thought, and his soul buzzed with a sudden realization. Maybe what he felt was for more than a friend-

“-PAPYRUS!” Sans teleports right in front of Papyrus, who stops in his path. He’s holding you in his arms, and you don’t look good. Papyrus eyes scan across your body, from your blackening eyes to the way you clutch your stomach, to the cuts that run across both of your arms, the blood dripping down onto Sans’s bones. Papyrus’s soul constricts in his chest.

“i can’t use healing magic anymore, can you help her??” Sans voice shakes as he holds you out to Papyrus, his eyes pleading.

Papyrus blinks, and for a brief flash he’s back in the underground, his stomach empty and his sight fuzzy as he watches Sans hold something out to him, something he no longer classifies as a person, no, it’s  _ food _ , and he reaches out, desperate despite his soul crying out that this is  _ wrong _ -

Papyrus blinks again, shaking the image out of his head and taking a deep breath. That’s done, it was bad but it’s over now, and he can’t change the past. But he can change his future, and that means saving you. He reaches forward and takes you from Sans’ arms. He turns and walks quickly up the stairs, quickly, but not panicked.

“SANS, PLEASE GET A BOWL OF WARM WATER FROM THE KITCHEN AND THE FIRST AID KIT FROM THE BATHROOM, AND BRING BOTH OF THEM INTO MY ROOM,” behind him, he hears Sans hurrying into the kitchen, but then he hears nothing as he blocks it out to focus on the task at hand.

Nothing will stop him from helping you, not now.  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this didn't get cut off too soon, it just felt right to end it there. Plus writing that took soooo much out of me.
> 
> Chapter summary: Sans finds you being attacked by Frank, with multiple injuries including knife wounds and kick wounds. Sans attacks Frank in return with gravity and bone attacks. Sans and papyrus both have flashbacks to the underground, which include mentions of fights with Frisk and eating humans.
> 
> Come say hi to me at my tumblr, and feel free to ask anything, including about the skeleboys and my headcanons for the universe! My tumblr is @sarah-the-something (regardless of whatever the unerasable end note after this says).


	12. Waking Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You're safe from Frank and things are soft

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry things have been quiet lately, handling schoolwork, life, and pandemic related stresses has been a lot lately. I think to update more often, updates might have to be a little shorter, but hopefully doing it this way will allow me to produce more content more often! If you're looking for even more fun with the boys and our MC, I'm always accepting short writing prompts at my tumblr, @sarah-the-something, and I'd love to write some stuff for the story between updates!

You wake up in a soft bed, the covers pulled across you and your head resting on a warm pillow. It is, quite literally, the nicest bed you’ve slept in, and your vision is soft as you just lay there and let your body enjoy feeling so comfortable. It’s still early, and the sun just barely comes in through the curtained windows.

But than you wake up more and realize you have  _ no _ idea how you got there. Your eyes flash open, your mind rifling through your memories like a government worker desperately trying to find an important file they lost.

You were at Sans and Papyrus’s house. You took the train home. You- oh  _ god,  _ Frank, and than

“SANS- _ augh _ ” You sit up, panicked, but have to stop when your side flares with pain. Where was Sans? What happened? You remember stopping him, and he took you home to Papyrus-

Oh, Papyrus. You finally look down and realize your hand is being held by none other than the tallest skeleton you knew. He’s fallen asleep leaning against your bed, a look of worry creased into his forehead. His arm is draped across the bed, his hand loosely holding yours, and you find yourself smiling as you remember being handed off to him before passing out. You couldn’t feel much besides pain at the time, but you definitely remember the wave of calm you’d felt being picked up by Papyrus.

A soft snore catches your attention and you look up to the rest of the room, which you realize is Papyrus’s (when you stayed the night you usually stayed on the couch or in Sans’s, and hadn’t really had a look at Papyrus’s room). You’re lying in his bed, a large, wide, oak bed fitted with soft fluffy blankets and lots of pillows. The soft yellow walls are lightly postered with drawings of birds and, you see with surprise, a picture of the three of you that you’d taken one time while on a break from gardening, all of you smiling while swinging on the bench. You smile softly as you see the patch of dirt on your cheek you didn’t know was there.

The snore had come from Sans, who is sleeping slouched on a sofa chair, his head leaning back and a blanket thrown around him. The two of them must have fallen asleep watching you, you realize, and a thread of guilt weaves its way through your chest. You shake it off, however, focusing instead on the soft blue blush on Sans’s face as he sleeps and remembering the show of magic he’d had fighting off Frank. Did he really care that much about you?

“Y/N?” You look back to Papyrus, who’s awake and looking at you. “ARE YOU FEELING OK?” His face still looks worried, with slight backs under his eye sockets. You feel guilty for stealing his bed, but smile at him.

“Yeah, I’m ok. I don’t know how much I can move around though,” you blush, realizing you’d be in a lot more pain if it hadn’t been for his healing. You reach up to where you remember Frank’s knife slashing through your forehead. Now, there’s a bandage taped against it, but you can tell it’s definitely not as bad as it could have been. “Thank you for healing me, Papyrus.”

“WHY OF COURSE!” He frowns, and his voice softens, as he shifts to face you more comfortably, “I do worry about... where you got those injuries?”

“I... uh, it’s complicated,” you know you owe it to them to explain things, after all, they saved you. But it’s just so hard. Luckily, Papyrus picks up on this.

“Don’t worry, you don’t need to tell us right now,” his voice returns to normal and he straightens up. “WHAT YOU DO NEED, HOWEVER, IS SOME MORE REST!”

“So do you Papyrus, you shouldn’t be sleeping on the floor!”

“I DON’T THINK IT’S A GOOD IDEA TO LEAVE YOU ALONE RIGHT NOW, IN CASE YOU NEED MORE HEALING, YOU HAVE SOME CRACKED RIBS AND-”

“There’s plenty of room on the bed, come sleep up here.”

“OH, ARE YOU SURE?” He blushes, his cheeks lighting up with a soft orange.

“Of course, I trust you. And we’ve cuddled before! Just be a little careful not to roll on me, I don’t know if my ribs could take it right now.”

He nods and moves to the other end of the bed, and you feel it shift as his tall self settles itself, spooning you, but being careful to leave some distance between the two of you. You settle back down as well, feeling comforted by his large presence around you. You feel yourself drifting back to sleep.

“Goodnight Papyrus.”

“Goodnight, Y/N”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, what I would give to have a big wood bed covered with fluffy blankets. One day!
> 
> I'd just want to say, I LOVE all the comments you guys have been leaving and I'm so thankful for everything you guys say, it's such encouragement and a real boost to my writing self esteem. I love you all!
> 
> Come say hi, send asks, or just check at my tumblr undertale blog @sarah-the-something


	13. Waking Up Part 2: Electric Boogaloo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You have a talk with Sans.
> 
> Content warning: anxiety, depression, dissociation, self esteem issues, panic attack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will finish this story goddamnit. It’ll just take some time.
> 
> Apologies for typos and grammar or spelling mistakes. I have a lot going on rn so I’m just trying to write what I can and get it out. Hope you enjoy!

You wake up a second time with a groan, sun streaming through the window and into your eyes. You squint, trying to take in the room without moving at all because, wow, are you sore. 

You’re slightly more cognitive waking up the second time and you don’t panic, instead taking a moment to catalog yourself. It hurts to breath, but only if you take big breaths. Your wrist is definitely broken and you realize it’s been set up with a nice splint. Wiggling you’re eyebrows tells you the cut above your forehead has at least stopped bleeding, and you think you can move your legs without too much trouble. You wonder if Papyrus had done more healing and lift your head up to check for him, but sadly find the bed (and the room) empty.

You consider your options- stay in bed and wait for the skeletons to find you, or face them yourselves and deal with this mess. You have to admit, you have no idea how you would be able to explain this to the skeleton brothers. They didn’t need to be involved in your personal drama, and you definitely didn’t want to put them in danger. You had already bothered them enough making them worry for you (a small voice in your head wonders why they do at all). 

You stretch as much as you can and start the laborious process of getting yourself out of bed. You’re a little sore, but Papyrus’s healing has done wonders and you’re able to slowly bring yourself out of bed and down the stairs, where Sans is sitting on the couch waiting for you. He looks up in surprise at your arrival and stands up quickly.

“y/n, you should be resting. how did you even get out of bed?” He asks, walking over to you.

“It’s fine, I’ve dealt with stuff like this before and I didn’t want to bother you- oh!” You squeak in surprise as Sans lifts you off your feet and carries you bridal style over to the couch, setting you down and sitting next to you. He looks you up and down and you’re surprised by a weird feeling that goes over you.

“your hp is still slightly low, but it’s stable.” He says.

Oh, he must’ve been Checking you. Interesting. You hum slightly before realizing that Sans’s face has become quite serious.

“so... are you going to explain what happened last night?” He asks.

Well shit. Your mind reels as you desperately try to think of a plausible explination that won’t get him wrapped up in your bullshit.

“He was waiting for me at my door because I had something he wanted.” You finally answer. Not a lie, just missing part of the truth.

“which was?”

“.... money?” That’s a normal thing for people to beat other people up for, right?

Sans sighs and stands up, heading to the kitchen and busying himself making something. You can guess he’s not satisfied with your answer, but thankfully he doesn’t seem to be pushing it.

“papyrus has gone to the store to get some groceries and stuff. in the meantime, do you want some hot chocolate?”

You nod, and fidget with a seam in your shirt while he heats up the milk, worrying about when he’ll ask you for more details. You’re suddenly very aware of yourself, both how you look and how you feel. You’re mostly sore, but it’s like all your senses are overpowered. You feel your skin against your clothes intensely, your heart beating in your ears, and each breath you take sounds like an ocean wave crashing against a cliff. But then, you’re above it all, like suddenly nothing matters, and you’re just staring off into space as if the ringing in your ears wasn’t as loud as a banchee.

“y/n? y/n listen to me. flower? its ok, you’re safe”

It takes you a few minutes to even register San’s voice, and a few more to comprehend what he said. Of course you were safe, right? You’re suddenly aware that you’re no longer sitting on the couch, but instead have been moved onto San’s lap, sitting sideways on his legs while his arms are wrapped around you. When did you get there? What just happened?

“Sans?” You ask, your voice silent without your permission.

“hey there bud, i think your got lost for a sec there.”

“Huh?” You think he’s right, you must have been dissociating, or panicking or something.

“It’s ok, last night must have been a lot, it’s ok not to be ok, flower” he says, letting go of you to allow you to lean back and look into his eye sockets.

You were ok though. You always were ok. These things didn’t bother you, you were a strong girl who had been through a lot. This was just another day in the life.

Suddenly you’re crying. That’s not fair, you were ok a second ago. A second ago you didn’t even care, right? Why were you crying?

Sans pulls you close to him again.

“i thought i was gonna lose you last night, i was so scared.”

You’re so confused, all your thoughts are jumbled and you can’t tell if you’re actually upset or not. All you know is the tears can’t stop and neither can the sobbing. And then you open your stupid mouth.

“Why do you guys even care so much? It’s not like I’m even worth it. I’m just a stupid nobody.. Why did you bother saving me when I couldn’t even save myself?” You say through your sobs, then immediately regret it. You didn’t need to worry him with your stupid thoughts, after already making him fight for you.

“alright, nope,” Sans says, and picks you up, throwing you over his shoulder. You squeak and are so confused that you stop crying.

“Sans!”

He turns and walks out the back door, through the path you’d laid in the garden, and deposits you (gently) on the swinging bench. You blink up at him as he turns to point at the garden. 

“could someone who isn’t worth anything create something as beautiful as this?” He says. You open your mouth the reply but he puts his finger up and you close it again. “could someone who doesn’t matter make my brother feel like he’s found a true friend who cares years after he’s lost his confidence? could someone who isn’t important make me feel like i have hope again?” His face falters for a minute but he shakes it off and turns fully towards you again. You’re too shocked at his bold statements to speak. You knew they said you were their friend, but did you really affect them that much?

Sans turns towards you and sits down, pulling you onto his lap for another hug. He’d been using his strength to carry you around a lot today, your worn out mind notices. It’s been nice.

You shoot that thought away. Not the time.

“look, flower. i’m not gonna make you tell us the whole story unless you want to. but what I am going to do is work until you understand that you’re worth saving any time you need help. Ok?” He looms at you straight on, a rarity for Sans.

Your brain is still confusing you. But you can tell he’s being sincere. Maybe, just maybe, it’s time to let other people care about you again. And to let them do so. 

You nod.

“ok, now let’s go drink that hot cocoa.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, come check out my blog at @Sarah-the-Something on tumblr. Even though I’m slow at writing this, I’m always posting and hanging around my blog and am happy to chat about herb or answer any questions or prompts about the story if need be (as long as it’s not too spoilery lol).
> 
> And I promise, I’ll finish this fic one day. Just gotta do it a step at a time lol. Hope you enjoyed!


	14. Update

Hey guys! I’m alive, I promise. Things have been tough since March and the virus that shall not be named became a reality, so I apologize for the lack of writing. But! Your comments and support has meant so much to me and I promise I’m going to continue the story. It’s been harder for me to find time to write but the entire work has been outlined (and some interspersed chapters written in advanced).

Seriously, reading the comments you guys have left has really made me determined to finish and honestly have been a big boost to my mood on some bad days. <3

I can’t promise that I’ll have a regular update schedule, but I’ve been writing the most recent chapter and am going to try to continue publishing as much as I can. This story is important to me and something that I really want to seen blossom (hehe pun intended).

Anyway, look for a new chapter in the next week or so (and replies to your wonderful comments) and I hope everyone has a good September (and happy birthday undertale!).

Cheers,

Sarah


	15. Some Time in the Garden

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and the boys take a much needed adventure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! Thank you guys so much for your supportive comments, they really encouraged me and make me feel so loved! I hope you all know that I feel the same way about you guys and hope you are all staying safe and taking care of yourselves!

You’d had some awkward lunches before, for sure. Meals at the orphanage tended to be pretty sketchy, the few dates you’d been on in your life had been... pleasant at best, and there’d been a couple times when previous bosses had asked you to eat with them to discuss your work, and you’d awkwardly pushed the cheapest thing you could afford around your plate while they attempted to flirt with you and get you to work for free.

So yeah, it wasn’t unusual for you to feel strange during a meal. But this was... different. Sans, as per usual, was eating silently beside you, occasionally offering a pun or two, but Papyrus, he was, well... staring.

And he had been for a while. He was unusually silent, peering at you through his glasses with an intense stare and watching your expressions. At first you’d felt like you needed to say something, but your nervousness took over and you just accepted his intense staring, focusing instead on eating in silence.  


A week had passed since the skeleton brothers had brought you home. For the most part, the two had not been bothering you with questions, only offering to pick some of your things up at your apartment (which you accepted gratefully). You had a sneaking suspicion that Sans had told Papyrus about your conversation and warned him not to ask you too much. 

You’d finally accepted that you needed some relaxing time with the skeletons, and even though you were still nervous, when they offered to let you stay with them for a while, you’d agreed. The week had been spent resting, with the occasional healing from Papyrus. The three of you had relaxed with books and movies, spending time on the bench swing in the garden, and cooking meals together to the songs on the radio. You’d been enjoying being able to just breath for a while, feeling truly safe for the first time in years.

And of course, it’s not like you didn’t feel safe with Papyrus watching you, just... confused. And slightly self conscious, feeling very aware of your movement and blushing every time you made eye contact. You desperately wish Sans would say something to break the tension, but he seemed happy to think to himself, occasionally looking up at his brother with a knowing smirk.

Finally, you couldn’t take it anymore.

“Papyrus, is everything all right?” You say cautiously.

Papyrus jumps up immediately, pointing at you and smiling.

“Y/N! HOW ARE YOU FEELING TODAY?” He says, his voice slightly more “rehearsed” than usual.

You jump slightly at the sudden movement and Papyrus’s grin falters just slightly to give you an apologetic glance, which you shake off, smiling back.

“I’m actually doing pretty well, thanks to your and Sans’s help,” you respond.

“EXCELLENT! AND WOULD YOU SAY YOU’D BEEN ENJOYING LEAVING THE HOUSE TO LOOK AT THE GARDEN?”

“Um, yeah, I always like sitting with you guys out in the yard-“ you say.

“SO! YOU WOULDN’T MIND SPENDING THE DAY DOING THAT, WOULD YOU?”

“Uh, no I’d love to but-“ 

“WONDERFUL! SANS! TO THE CAR!” And he turns and runs up the stairs, letting out a few “NYEHEHEHE’s” as he goes.

“Sans, what did he-“ you turn towards Sans but are surprised to find that he’s standing up besides you. Leaning forward, he picks you up bridal style. You stutter, completely confused ( ~~and blushing horribly~~ ), but are interrupted as the world goes dark. For the briefest moment, you can’t see a thing, but almost immediately the light returns and you find yourself sitting in the back of the punch buggy with Sans.

“sorry for the unexpected shortcut, flower, but papyrus really wanted us to move quickly," Sans says, helping you get settled into the seat behind you, being gentle around where he knows your bruises are as he sets you down.

“Sans, what’s going on?” You ask, your heart speeding up a bit.

“we’re just spending the afternoon in the garden, like papyrus said, heheh,” he glances over at you, his red eye light dilating as he focuses on your face. “of course, if you’re uncomfortable at any point, just say so and I’ll ‘port you home ok?”

You relax slightly at his offer and nod, starting to smile. You admit you’d been nervous to go too far from the house lately, but you knew you’d have to leave eventually, and what better way to readjust than with some skeletal shenanigans?

Moments after Sans spoke, Papyrus comes through the driver side door, placing a large picnic basket on the seat next to him.

“EVERYONE GOT THEIR SEATBELTS ON?”

“yep, we’re all ready to go to the garden.”

You chuckle, still bewildered but enjoying the company of the two skeletons. The three of you enjoy light conversation as you drive through through the city, trading puns with Sans and occasionally trying to pry your destination out of Papyrus, to no avail.

Finally, you pull into an underground garage and park. Papyrus holds the door open for you as you get out, and the three of you walk out to the city above, Sans holding the picnic basket. As soon as you walk outside, your heart turns to ice and you realize how out in the open you are. Anyone could see you out there,  _ Frank _ could find you out there, he could hunt you down, and you wouldn’t have any place to hide, and-

“hey there flower, breathe for me for a second,” Sans says, and you realize you’d been hyperventilating and didn’t even know it. Sans has his hand on your shoulder, and Papyrus has crouched down and is staring at you concerned through his tortoiseshell glasses. He reaches over and brushes off a tear you didn’t realize you had on your cheek.

“Flower,” he says, unusually quiet, and you almost blush realizing he’s using Sans’s nickname for you. “You don’t have to do this if you’re not comfortable.” He gives you a small smile, and you take a minute to breathe. You look to your right at Sans, standing above you with a calming smile, and turn back to Papyrus. You want to do this, and you know they’ll protect you. You just gotta do one step at a time. 

A tiny part of you says you need to stop being a burden, but you remember your conversation with Sans and brush it off.

“No, I want to do this, I just need to go slow,” You say. Papyrus smiles, and with your consenting nod picks you up and places you on his shoulders while you laugh. “It’s so high up here!”

“ONLY THE BETTER TO SEE ALL OF MY BEST FRIEND IN ALL HER BEAUTIFUL GLORY!” Papyrus says, and you think you notice a blush on his cheeks. ~~You try to ignore the fact that you’re blushing as well.~~

The three of you make your way down a couple blocks until you reach your destination. A long and tall fence blocks the view of the other side, but a large sign reads, “JAMES BALDWIN BOTANICAL GARDEN”.

“WELL, IT LOOKS LIKE WE’VE ARRIVED AT THE GARDEN!” Papyrus says, his smile as wide as ever. 

The garden. He'd taken you to "the" garden.

You can’t help it, you start giggling, and Sans is quick to join in. It’s not long until all three of you are laughing uncontrollably together, Sans having to lean against you with his arm around your shoulders as he shakes with laughter.

The three of you are still giggling while you buy your tickets (Papyrus insists on paying), and make your way into what turns out to be a very large and a very beautiful garden, split into different sections by the biomes and origins of the plant types.

The three of you pour over the brochure and map your route excitedly (well, mostly you and Papyrus, Sans is busy sneaking a peek into the picnic basket he’s carrying while Papyrus is distracted). You start in the Mediterranean section, following the path to the South American Section, the Asian section, the ancient garden (Sans apparently had a large number of dinosaur puns he’d been waiting for a chance to use), followed by the garden of fragrances (all three of you made sure to stop and smell the flowers), the garden of funny names (Sans couldn’t stop laughing at the humped bladderwart, and you had to join in), a forest of fruit trees (patrons were welcome to take fruits, and Papyrus reached up to the higher, untouched branches to grab you one of each, which you hoarded greedily for later, and finally, a rose garden (you spend an extra amount of time admiring all the different types, discovering another favorite called the watercolor’s rose).

Slightly winded after being on your feet for so long, the three of you finally arrive at an open field for your picnic. Papyrus spreads out a blanket and begins unpacking the food. If he noticed that Sans had been nibbling from it, he said nothing, instead laying out the bags of chips and sandwiches, making sure all of you drank from water bottles. You talked and laughed while you ate, making more and more plant puns (“Hey Sans, I’m very  _ frond _ of you” “yeah, our friendship is unbe _ leaf _ able” “YOU GUYS ARE DRIVING ME CRAZY” “oh come on, paps, try to  _ romaine _ calm”). You end your meal lying together, your head on Sans’s stomach, and Papyrus’s on yours, all three of you pointing out the shapes in the clouds and giggling about little nothings.

You can easily say it’s one of the best days you’ve  _ ever _ had, and you’re so glad you convinced yourself to take the leap of faith and trust the two to watch over you. For the first time in your adult life, you feel  _ safe,  _ you feel  _ trust _ , and you feel  _ loved. _ You realize it’s time.

“Ok guys, I think I’m ready to tell you what happened, if you’re comfortable hearing it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, she's starting to grow
> 
> Come say hi to me at my tumblr, @sarah-the-something! I'm always happy to chat and/or talk about how to bloom!


	16. Story Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You finally tell your story, and hear one too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha I'm alive! Sorry I can't update regularly guys but I'm not giving up! One short update by the next this story will be told.
> 
> Also! A big shout out to @alextris on tumblr for commissioning @quezq to make some art of this fanfic! The art is absolutely amazing and I'm so grateful for them both!
> 
> The art is here: https://quezq.tumblr.com/post/642426126299480064/commissioned-by-the-lovely-alextris-scenes-from  
> Info on commissions here: https://quezq.tumblr.com/post/628958173119774720/41here-we-are-commissions-open-click-read
> 
> Check it out!

Sans and Papyrus both look up from where they’re lying on the blanket, concern on their faces.

“hey flower, just cause we gave you a nice day doesn’t mean you owe us information, ya know that right?” Sans says, propping himself up on his elbows.

“INDEED, WE WANT YOU TO TAKE YOUR TIME WITH THINGS.”

“we all have things we’ve struggled with, it’s not always easy to talk about,” Sans glances towards Papyrus and they share a look.

You look down at your hands, slightly embarrassed. This was not going to be easy.

“No, I trust you guys. And I think if I’m gonna get through this... I need you.” you say. You feel your face start to get hot. “I just am gonna need a second to figure out what to say.”

Sans and Papyrus both nod and position themselves so the three of you are sitting in a circle across from each other. You shift into a crossed legs position to match there’s while you mull your thoughts over.

How much of what you’d gone through was necessary to talk about? Obviously you had to explain why Sans had found you like that. Which would mean explaining who Frank was, which would mean explaining what the gang did. Which would explain why you needed money so desperately, which would explain what you used their money for, which meant ohmygod they’d know what you used the money on were they going to hate you forever what if they thought you were a horrible person and didn’t want to be your friend and-

“woah flower, take a deep breath ok?” Sans voice cut through your thoughts, and you realize that you were hyperventilating. You follow his instructions and take a deep breath, counting to ten in your head like Papyrus had taught you to. Maybe it was best to just start.

“Ok, so in my neighborhood there’s... this guy... who’s like a big deal?” Wow, what a great start. “And he runs a group of people who are really... mean. And big. Like Frank. Frank is one of them.

“FRANK?”

“Oh, he’s the guy who um... Sans saved me from.” You look up at Sans, catching him scowling. He sees you watching and changes to an encouraging smile. “So um... The guy who’s a big deal, he makes everyone pay him money? He calls it... protection money? And if we don’t, than he sends people like Frank to um... encourage us to do it.”

You look up from your wringing hands, nervous to see their reactions. You start when you see that Sans’s red eyelight has completely disappeared. Meanwhile, Papyrus has also begun wringing his hands, but upon seeing you look up, offers one to you to hold. You take it without thinking.

“Um... so I guess I was late with paying too many times... and I’m really sorry, I paid with the money you guys gave me, but it was too late and Frank wasn’t happy so he... I’m sorry guys I feel like I used you and I’d understand if you don’t want to talk to me anymore or be my friend I was just so scared and-”

In the middle of your rant, Papyrus reaches over and surprises you by grabbing your middle and pulling you towards him for a hug. You squeak in surprise as you realize there are tears going down your cheeks and you’re shaking. You can’t say anymore, you just fold into Papyrus’s arms. 

Of course he wasn’t going to be angry at you - you couldn’t even picture him being angry, even though you deserved it. But you were terrified to look over at Sans. You just let yourself cry it out in Papyrus’s giant arms.

“Y/N... That’s Extortion, You Know That Right?.” Papyrus’s voice is at the softest you’ve heard it.

“I know, I know... but I wasn’t strong enough. I should’ve fought back,”

“it’s not always easy to fight back against people in authority... even when the authority is corrupt... especially when the authority is corrupt,” Sans’s voice is soft and monotone behind you, and you look up in surprise at his voice. His eyelight has returned, and he’s looking at you with a sad expression. He’s moved closer to Papyrus, and looks like he’s been considering hugging you as well. Maybe he was worried you’d be scared of him.

Your struck with how small you are compared to your two friends who tower over you. So close together, you feel a sense of calm. Like they were a shield between you and the world.

Could you ever face the world again without that shield?

#

Late that night you’re lying on the makeshift bed Papyrus had built out of the couch. He’d tried to insist that you take his bed, but there was no way his lanky form would be comfortable on the couch, and you didn’t mind - it was more comfortable than the bed in your apartment after all.

You couldn’t sleep. After you’d told your story, Papyrus and Sans had sat with you a bit, repeating comforting phrases about how it wasn’t your fault and that they weren’t upset. You’d tried your hardest to believe them, but you couldn’t shake the feeling that they were lying.

If only you had been stronger. If you had fought back. Than maybe you wouldn’t have been in this situation at all.

“hey flower... you awake?” Sans’s voice came softly from behind the couch. You lifted yourself up by your elbows.

“Yeah, just... lost in thought,” You manage a smile. Sans walks over and with your permissive nod sits down on the couch next to you while you sit up. The two of you sit in silence for a moment before Sans speaks.

“have you ever wondered where I got this hole in my head?”

You look up in surprise. Sans is looking at you with his red eyelight, unblinking, with a surprising amount of focus for him. You shake your head.

“No, I mean, a little, but it doesn’t really take up the forefront of my thoughts, I figured it wasn’t something you liked to talk about,” you say.

“i don’t, i guess. because i don’t like the thoughts associated with it. but i... listen. this injury... it wasn’t an accident,” He looks away, a scowl forming. “I’m sure you’ve heard the official report of what happened to monsters.”

You nod. They’d run out of food after a human had killed half the underground and disrupted everything. Rioting had taken out more. Things got dark, people got violent, but the leader of the monsters eventually had been able to gather up the seven human souls needed to break the barrier and escape.

“it was worse than they said. we all did things we regret, all hurt people we didn’t want to... but our leader... empress u-,” he shifts slightly, interrupting himself to take a deep breath. You find yourself in a strange sense of deja vu of early that day, except you and Sans had switched places, with him in the hot seat.

You reach over and take Sans’s hand in yours. He starts slightly, stirred from his thoughts, but flashes a brief smile at you before continuing.

“anyway, our leader took over after the king was killed, and she... she wasn’t great with power. she abused it. abused the strength she had, and she hurt others... including me.”

A monster had done that to him. A monster in power. You find yourself growing angrier and angrier. How could someone do that-

“heh, watch that grip flower,” Sans says, and you realize how hard you’d been holding his hand. You immediately let go.

“Oh man, I’m sorry, it’s just... how could someone  _ do _ that?”

“she had issues worked up. and we were all angry. she just...” he frowns. “i’d been trying to stop her from hurting papyrus. i stepped in front of him, and you know me, i ain’t the most durable of monsters.”

That wasn’t quite the description you’d use for the monster sitting several heads above you. You’d personally seen him lift bags of soil like they were nothing. 

He looks over and catches you staring.

“heh, at least i wasn’t then. after i got hurt, i had to get stronger to survive. and to make sure paps wouldn’t get hurt again. not to mention the effect the stress had on our magic...”

You look at your hands. He’d stepped in front of Papyrus, taken that blow that should’ve killed him, all because the wrong person had taken control. 

Sans’s next sentence interrupts your thoughts.

“sometimes... i wish i could’ve done more, fought back more-”

“Wait, you can’t say that!”

“why not?”

“Because! It’s not like you chose to have someone abusing their power and hurting others! It’s not like you chose for the empress to do those horrible things!”

“but if i hadn’t been so weak-”

_ “It’s not about you being weak! It’s not your fault for being taken advantage of! The only person who should be blamed is the one hurting you!” _

_... _

You close your mouth. The words you’d just said echoed through your mind. 

Sans grins at you, leaning back into the couch with crossed arms.

“that so?”

“Oh... you bastard.”

Sans laughs. After a moment, you join him.  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now that is what you call a pro gamer move.
> 
> If anyone is curious, my version of horrortale involves the same setup - Frisk kills Asgore, Undyne takes over and goes power crazy, food runs out, and most of the designs are the same. However, a lot of everything else will be a mishmash of fanon and my own stuff that you will find out! I'm definitely writing a soft horrortale (of course, everyone has their dark backstories muahahaha).
> 
> Find me at @sarah-the-something on tumblr! I post often (much more often than here) and am always happy to chat or answer asks of any kind!
> 
> Until the next random update!


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